ENA Sectors 2025-03-24 14:09:28 <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>Jaipur, Mar 24 (KNN)</strong> Mining stakeholders in Rajasthan have urged the state government to introduce a mineral tax of Rs 700 per tonne on raw mineral exports.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">This move aims to address concerns over unchecked exports of feldspar and quartz without value addition, which has negatively impacted the industry and resulted in job losses.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Surendra Singh Rajpurohit, coordinator of the Rajasthan Minor Mineral Association, emphasised the need for such a tax, citing a Supreme Court judgment as a reference.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">He stated, We have submitted proposals for the state's financial policy, focusing on investment promotion and revenue enhancement under the Rajasthan First initiative.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">At present, Rajasthan mines and exports various major and minor minerals, including those classified as critical for national security, aviation, and medical sectors.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The Union governments Critical Minerals Policy advocates for a Zero Waste Mining strategy, ensuring that all essential minerals are recovered using advanced technology.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">As of February 20, minerals such as feldspar, quartz, mica, and baryte have been reclassified as major minerals to encourage scientific mining practices.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">A mine owner highlighted the difficulties faced by small-scale miners, stating, Expensive segregation plants are unaffordable, leading to the continued export of unprocessed minerals.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Annually, Rajasthan exports lakhs of tonnes of raw minerals, generating minimal revenue beyond basic royalty, causing severe financial distress to feldspar-based MSMEs. The unchecked extraction also results in significant environmental damage, which current royalty rates fail to mitigate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">To curb raw mineral exports, stakeholders have proposed toll checkpoints on inter-state roads and stringent penalties for tax evasion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">A senior official assured that the proposal is under review, aligning with Rajasthans mining policy, which aims to boost the sectors GDP contribution from 3.4 per cent to 5 per cent by FY30, and up to 8 per cent by FY47.</span></p> <p><em><strong><span style="font-size:14px">(KNN Bureau)</span></strong></em></p> 41498 https://knnindia.co.in/news/newsdetails/sectors/rajasthan-mining-stakeholders-demand-mineral-tax-to-curb-raw-exports 2025-03-24 14:09:28 knnindia.co.in