Reports

About 0.35 million (3.5 lakh) hectares of land are currently under operational mines in India. Besides, a large amount of land is available with closed mines. This land holds enormous promise to create economic opportunities in the coal regions besides enhancing environmental sustainability. This report analyses the reclamation practices and socio-economic impacts of coal and lignite mine closures in India through 3 case studies. Based on the observations, the report outlines key policy and regulatory reforms to support a sustainable reclamation and repurposing of coal mining land, including the process of developing a just transition plan as part of final mine closure planning.

The report emphasizes solutions and implementation models, based on comprehensive research across five mining districts (i.e Chatra, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, West Singhbhum) of Jharkhand to establish DRE integration as an essential focus area under various priority spending areas of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), including health, nutrition, education, and livelihood. DRE applications have already been playing a pivotal role in bridging the energy access gap in Jharkhand, and DMF can play an essential role in expanding its reach, effectiveness, adoption, and maintenance.

This policy brief discusses how the transparency and accountability mechanisms of District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) may be strengthened to ensure that DMFs internalizes the principles of good governance.

This policy brief explains how an output-outcome based participatory planning process can strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

This report was prepared on the request of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Government of Namibia. The report recommended a sustainable mining framework for Namibia.

This status report evaluated the performance of top 50 districts of India on how they are implementing the provisions of the DMF, especially if the DMF fund is being used effectively to serve the intended beneficiaries.

This status report evaluated the performance of mining districts of Jharkhand on how they are implementing the provisions of the DMF.

This status report evaluated the performance of mining districts of Odisha on how they are implementing the provisions of the DMF.

This status report evaluated the performance of mining districts of Chhattisgarh on how they are implementing the provisions of the DMF.

This report is an evaluation of the progress and performance of District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) in India’s 50 key mining districts across 11 states. The focus of the review is on examining the implementation status of DMF provisions as per the law.

This report recommends a comprehensive framework to regulate small-scale mining beyond environmental clearances.

How do we remove the resource-curse from the mining districts of India? This report proposed a benefit-sharing mechanism under which the mining-affected communities get a share from the royalties. It took eight years for this idea to get accepted as District Mineral Foundation (DMF).

A graphic depiction of the state of mining in India and its environmental and social costs.

This report was published to impress upon the Parliamentary Standing Committee to revise the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 keeping in view the environmental and social aspects of the mining sector. They took note of the report and instituted the District Mineral Foundation (DMF).