A big news waiting for government employees. You will be surprised to know that the jobs of 15 lakh people in the state are in danger. In this situation, the Chief Minister has approached the Supreme Court. A situation has come in Rajasthan where the sword is hanging on the jobs of 15 lakh people in the state. To overcome this crisis looming over the jobs of such a large number of people, the Bhajanlal Sharma government of the state has filed an urgent appeal in the Supreme Court. Additional Advocate General Shivmangal Sharma has filed this petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of the Rajasthan government.
Case related to mining industry
Actually, this matter is related to the mining industry. The order to close 20,000 mining leases in the state has come. Due to which the jobs of 15 lakh people working in these mining leases have been threatened. Additional Solicitor General Shiv Mangal Sharma filed the plea today on the basis of directions received in the morning and emphasized the need for expeditious intervention to extend the timeline for environmental compliance for mining leases. They plan to place the matter before the Chief Justice of India to prevent large-scale unemployment, social unrest, and adverse impacts on the local economy in the state due to the closure of these mines, which will also affect large-scale construction work in Rajasthan.
Crisis after NGT’s decision
The appeal follows the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruling that mining leases in Rajasthan that have received environmental clearance (EC) by the District Environmental Impact Assessment Authorities (DEIAA) require re-assessment by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAA) by November 7, 2024. The state is facing a challenge in meeting this deadline due to the limited structure and staff at SEIAA, which has processed only a few of the 23,000 applications received so far.
12 month extension required
In its petition, the Rajasthan government has sought a 12-month extension to complete the environmental vetting, arguing that the immediate closure of the mines would badly impact the local economy. The closure of mines can halt construction activities across the state, increase brick and stone prices, and push people coming from economically weaker backgrounds towards unemployment. These have been given to families falling below the poverty line, families of martyrs and members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
The mining sector in Rajasthan supports about 15 lakh people directly or indirectly. The government’s plea warned that a sudden halt in mining activities could lead to illegal mining, a rise in crime, and social unrest. Most of these licenses cover small mining areas (about 0.18 hectares), making these mines vital to the livelihoods of small operators and local communities.