Children - Terre des Hommes

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population of Bellary continues to live in extreme conditions
of poverty, in spite of the manganese and iron ore mining there.
The district is ranked 17 in the state’s Human Development
Index (HDI), clearly indicating that the income generated
from mining in the district has not translated into improved
living conditions for the majority of the population. Iron ore
mining has caused serious environmental problems, with mine
waste and dust preventing the cultivation of crops in the area.
Large-scale limestone mining in Gulbarga has also encroached
upon agricultural land in the district. 23
Iron ore mining in Hospet (Photo- June 2009)
is also the sole producer of felsite and the leading producer
of iron ore, chromite and dunite. The state hosts 78 per
cent of India’s vanadium ore, 74 per cent of iron ore, 42 per
cent of tungsten ore, 38 per cent of asbestos, 33 per cent of
titaniferous magnetite and 30 per cent of limestone, as well as
less significant proportions of a number of other minerals. 19
According to statistics provided by the Directorate of
Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka, mining
and quarrying has increased as a percentage of the total
contribution to the state’s GDP but only marginally—from
a 0.5 per cent share in 1999 to a one per cent share in 2007-
08. 20 This shows that despite the amount of land that has been
turned over to mining (which totalled over 11,046 ha between
1980 and 2008) 21 and the number of people affected by mining
and quarrying in the state, its contribution to the state’s GDP
still remains marginal. In terms of employees, around 14,200
people were officially employed in 199 reporting mines in
2005—a slight increase from 13,200 in 2002. 22
Mining is generating little wealth for the majority of the rural
population of Karnataka, many of whom continue to live in
poverty. The districts of Bellary and Gulbarga are particularly
poor, despite the fact that mining has been prevalent in these
districts for some time now. An estimated 45 per cent of the
Child labour is recognised as a serious problem in the mining
sector in Karnataka. Iron ore mining in Bellary is infamous
for its large number of child labourers involved, with at least
200,000 boys and girls working in the iron mines in this
district. 24 Children as young as 3 years old can be seen at the
mine sites, accompanying their parents to work. By the age of
seven or eight they start performing a number of jobs at these
sites, including hammering away through piles of iron stock
and carrying heavy loads on their head. They are employed
by mine owners and contractors for digging, breaking stones,
sieving, loading, dumping, and transporting and processing
iron ore with no safety equipment. 25 Accidents and injuries
are common in these mines.
Illegal mining is also recognised as a serious problem in the
state. In 2008, the Central Empowerment Committee and
Lokayukta for the state Santosh Hegde submitted a report
calling for the Karnataka state government to urgently tackle
illegal mining in the state, in the interests of the country. There
have been a number of complaints about politically influential
mine owners and politicians with high stakes in the mining
industry, using the bureaucracy to carry out illegal mining. 26
Many small mines in the state operate without permits and
do not pay taxes.
The Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), located in Kolar district, was
closed in 2003. No longer the ‘golden land’ of India, what was
18 Ministry of Mines, Government of India, Annual Report, 2008-09.
19 Ibid.
20 Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka, Table 1 – Gross State Domestic Product, http://des.kar.nic.in/mainpage.asp?option=5,
uploaded: 30 November 2009.
21 Accessed at Indiatstats.com, Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 234, dated 20.10.2008. Selected State-wise Forest Land Diverted for Mining by Ministry of
Environment and Forests in India (25.10.1980 to 30.09.2008).
22 Accessed at Indiastats.com, Compiled from the statistics released by Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, Selected State-wise Average
Daily Employment and Number of Reporting Mines in India (2002 to 2005).
23 CSE, State of India’s Environment – Rich Lands, Poor People, 2008, pp. 200.
24 Our Mining Children, 2005; and CSE, State of India’s Environment – Rich Lands, Poor People, 2008, pp. 194.
25 Our Mining Children, 2005.
26 The Hindu, State should act against illegal mining: Jethmalani, 24 November 2009.