A Brief History Of The Mining Industry In India

A Brief History Of The Mining Industry In India India's economic growth has been largely influenced by the mining industry. Although its GDP contribution is roughly 2.2% to 2.5%, but, if you compare it with the GDP rate of the total industrial sector in India, you will see that mining contributes to about 10-11%, which is quite a number. Furthermore, the industry also provides job opportunities to about 7 lakh people in India.

Mines are natural resources (you can even call them the Gifts of Mother Nature) that accelerate both economic and social development. For centuries, mining activities have constituted a big part of India’s economy. However, it was not always a healthy place to work in. History holds that the coal mines in India were sites of extreme exploitation and massacre in the name of profit. We have come a long way since then. Standing where we are right now, it is quite unimaginable that the mining industry in India went through such horrible days.

The History Of Indian Mining Industry The first record of any mining activity in India dates back to 1774 when an English Company was allowed by the East India Company to mine coal in Raniganj. Then, the first Indian oil well was drilled in Digboi in 1866. After that, in the year 1880, M/s John Taylor & Sons Ltd. started mining gold in the Kolar fields.

However, these mining activities were nothing compared to the ones that came into prominence in the twentieth century. After independence, India concentrated more on the mining industry and growth accelerated based on the Five Year Plans. Today, India has one of the top reserves of coal, oil, natural gas and metallic and non-metallic minerals like Bauxite, Dolomite, Fluorspar, Gypsum, Iron Ore, Limestone, Copper, Asbestos, Zinc, to name a few.

Coal Mining In India Often the development of coal mines in India is linked to the development of the railway system. More and more companies started taking up mining leases from the then Zamindars or land-owners to carry out mining activities on the lands owned by them. As land values increased, lease areas became shorter and lease durations smaller, giving rise to several problems with respect to industrial growth. Since the 1920’s, committees and consultants tried to regulate and control the coal mining industry by creating various laws and policies from time to time. However, it was not before 1971, that the coal mines were taken over as national properties by the BCCL (M/s.Bharat Coking Coal Limited), and CMAL (Coal Mines Authority Limited), both of which merged together to form the Coal India Limited in 1975.

The coal mining industry has been exploited to a great extent in the past with unscientific practices in the name of profit, under-reporting of production, non-payment of daily wages, lack of safety and several other issues. However, the scenario has changed in the last 20-30 years with improved laws and stringent measures against illegal mining practices. A reputed Indian mining company today does not exploit its workforce or employ unscientific methods to generate more revenue. After all, development should not always be in terms of money, but also in terms of social and environmental impact. And, that is the singular motto of any modern coal mining or iron ore trading servicein India today.

Source:https://naaraayaniminerals.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/a-brief-history-of-the-miningindustry-in-india/

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