Panel report in, Rajya Sabha set to take mines bill up today

The bill seeks to provide for allocation of coal mines through bidding. This too has been passed by the Lok Sabha.

With Rajya Sabha select committee chairman Bhupendra Yadav submitting the panel report today, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 is likely to be taken up in the House Wednesday, official sources said this evening. “The government will move two official amendments to the bill on the basis of the report,” a source said.

The report will be circulated among members. Yadav, who was required to complete the job by March 18 to enable the House to pass the bill during the first leg of the Budget Session, has done it a day ahead of the deadline. The last working day of the first part of the session is on March 20. A meeting of the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs (CCPA) has been convened for Wednesday to take stock of business transacted so far and plan government strategy.

Two committee members, including Mani Shankar Aiyar of the Congress, have appended their dissent to the report.

The amendment was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha.

The sources said the second select committee, constituted to examine the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, is likely to submit its report Wednesday. The bill seeks to provide for allocation of coal mines through bidding. This too has been passed by the Lok Sabha.