Nagpur: With govt inviting suggestions on the proposed Mineral (Holding and Inquiry Appeal) Rules, 2026, the Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council has flagged key concerns, saying the draft lacks a provision for issuing a warning before initiating civil penalty proceedings and fails to provide for proportionate penalties for minor violations.The proposed penalties are nearly ten times higher than those prescribed under the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017, said VED vice-president and mining expert B K Shukla. The concerns were submitted to minister of state for agriculture, relief and rehabilitation, and judiciary Ashish Jaiswal on Saturday.VED president Rina Sinha said the organisation advocates policies that promote ease of doing business. She added that VED has consistently engaged with stakeholders and the government on issues affecting the mining sector and has secured positive outcomes through similar interventions in the past.
