National Mineral Policy 2006 - Department of Mines

where miners have taken CSR initiatives in the interest of local communities and indigenouspeople.3.18 However, these are unorganised ad hoc initiatives that are voluntary in nature and forwhich there is no accountability to outside agencies. The ICMM model calls for acommitment not only to the ten principles of the SDF but also to a reporting initiative wherethe mining majors submit regular reports in respect of prescribed standards and seekcertification of adherence. The aspect of social infrastructure in the form of schools,hospitals, drinking water arrangements, etc. needs to be addressed within a formalisedframework on the lines of the ICMM model. The Samatha ruling, requiring miningcompanies to spend a set percentage of their profits on model programmes for meeting localneeds through a pre-determined commitment, is one option for the country as a whole.Another option could be to require the mining companies to spend a percentage, say three percent, of their turnover on the social infrastructure in the villages around the mining area. Theworking group mentioned in paragraph 3.11 above may take this into consideration whenpreparing the Indian SDF and determining the percentage that mining companies could beadvised to set aside. However, rather than the government it is the company, through theintermediation of NGOs etc., that implement the R&R and social infrastructure plan. Thecrucial point that this Committee would like to highlight is that both aspects of the currentdebate, viz. tribal development and afforestation–environment protection, have a moreenlarged scope in the context of a mining project vis-à-vis other development projects such asirrigation or road projects. A mining intervention can provide genuine developmentopportunities for indigenous populations because of the direct streams of revenue generatedby the mineral production, which is not necessarily the case with infrastructure projects. TheICMM model of SDF is vital to ensure that it becomes possible to garner this revenue and topass on substantial benefits sustainably to local populations.FOREST AND ENVIRONMENT CLEARANCES3.19 While the approach embodied in the two statutes can be examined in the context ofinternational best practices by the proposed joint working group, in the Committee’sassessment there is scope for expediting the processing of applications for clearances byindividual mining operators even within the existing framework. Inordinate delays, spreadingover several years, can and are becoming counter-productive in the sense that the benefits77