Mineral Inheritors Rights Association (MIRA), formally established in March 2020, is an emerging coalition of diverse civil societygroups and networks in India working to ensure democracy, social justice, equity, transparency, and accountability in the extractive sector. MIRA is affiliated to the global Publish What You Pay (PWYP) coalition. The coalition brings together27 members and 9 Steering Committee members who are passionate in reimagining a future where everyone has an equitable access to mineral resources while preserving the integrity of the entire ecosystem.
Our collective vision is to create and ensure “A country with fair and effective governance over natural resources, including minerals, which are a shared inheritance with the State as trustee for the people and especially future generations.”
The key priorities of the coalition are:
To advocate for a fair mineral resource governance mechanism in place based on the principle of intergenerational, intragenerational and interspecies equity.
To guarantee total transparency on the part of both the government and the extractive industries including the disclosure of payments & policy affairs and effective implementation of Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC).
To call for rationalisation and regularization of mining activities with strict limits to the quantum of production of mines and minerals.
To advance gender responsive approach at all extractive stages and welfare activities and women, as the key stakeholders in the mining process.
To advocate for India to be a member of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative and the Open Government Partnership to commit to and comply with international standards of disclosure and transparency.
A country with fair and effective governance over natural resources, including minerals, which are a shared inheritance with the State as trustee for the people and especially future generations.
India produces as many as 87 minerals, which includes 4 fuel, 10 metallic, 47 non-metallic, 3 atomic and 23 minor minerals (including building and other materials).
India is the world’s largest producer of mica blocks and mica splittings and ranks second among the chromite producers of the world, 3rd in production of coal & lignite, 2nd in barites, 4th in iron ore, 5th in bauxite and crude steel, 7th in manganese ore and 8th in aluminium.
Over 115,000 mines operate illegally as against nearly 10,000 legitimate leases in India. Only a third of the legal mines report to the Indian Bureau of Mines (the regulatory body) and only a tenth of them are inspected.
The mining sector contributes nearly 2.4 per cent to India’s GDP.
Saswati Swetlena, National Coordinator [email protected] / [email protected]
India produces as many as 87 minerals, which includes 4 fuel, 10 metallic, 47 non-metallic, 3 atomic and 23 minor minerals (including building and other materials).