In this age of corporate loot, the Government of India has paved a new way for private corporations to loot the natural resources in a much more audacious manner with greater impunity. With the opposition boycotting the Rajya Sabha session questioning the Manipur situation, Parliament has passed three acts hastily without any Opposition present or proper debate held, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment act to allow private players to exploit atomic minerals, the Forest (Conservation) Amendment act to exempt land within 100 kilometres of the borders from conservation laws and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) act which decriminalises and removes punitive measures for environment-related offences.
Discovery of Lithium deposits and abrogation of Article 370
The Geological Survey of India started collecting samples from the district of Raesi in Kashmir in 2018 and in February 2022 the Government announced that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserve is found in the valley. The Union of India created a safe haven for foreign plunder of lithium by removing special status of Kashmir and violating the sovereignty of Kashmir. Investors who were hesitant to invest in the valley due to the various protections given to Kashmir are now in full confidence as private players are given full immunity by the Union of India. Since the abrogation of Article 370 by the BJP Government in 2019, big corporations are investing heavily in Kashmir to exploit its rich mineral resources.
The MMDR Amendment Act seeks to remove 6 minerals from the list of atomic minerals and allow them to be mined by private entities. These minerals can now be mined by any highest bidder in state conducted auctions. It is well known how these auctions sell rights to mining mafias such as Vedanta and Hindalco to loot a fortune while paying the government a very meagre sum as royalties. The Government’s move to open up lithium mining to private entities comes in the wake of high demand for electric vehicles in the market and two lithium battery “Gigafactories” being set up by Foreign entities which are aimed to exploit cheap labour in the state of Karnataka.
Wringing of Northeast
The Forest Conservation Amendment Act seeks to remove forest areas within 100 km of international borders from the Protection of Forest Conservation Act. This constitutes 28 percent of India’s forest area. Most of the northeastern states which are densely forested and rich in biomes are now exposed and made vulnerable to the corporate plunder. The act affects so much so that 90 percent of the state of Nagaland is removed from the ambit of conservation and similar is the fate with other northeastern states. The amendment comes amidst the Manipur unrest and evictions faced by the people of Kuki tribe. These violent evictions of tribals would become more frequent in the process of corporate plunder. The Nagaland government has signed a memorandum of understanding for palm oil production with Patanjali and Godrej Agrovet. Such instances are expected to rise exponentially where rich forest areas are destroyed to cultivate cash crops in the interest of corporates.
Corporate Impunity
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill states that it intends to reduce the compliance burden on industries and enhance the ease of doing business in India. The amendment removes the strict punitive measures prescribed for the violation of environmental laws by business entities. The central government now seeks to only award monetary penalties for environmental law violations instead of imprisonment, thus creating a sense of impunity for the corporations which are merely concerned with profiteering and not its implications on the environment. Environmental laws would become ineffective if there exists no deterrence as the big corporations can slip away with mere payment of monetary fines. This would cost a hefty price to the people of India who have time and again suffered due to the non-compliance of environmental norms by Multinational Companies.
Socialist state?
If India was truly a Socialist State as it is claimed in the preamble, it would have kept the atomic minerals such as lithium solely under the state, establishing state monopoly when there is such high demand for lithium. Public sectors would be supplied with this rare mineral to manufacture highly demanded products such as lithium batteries further increasing the revenue and providing thousands of employment. But the Government has resorted to serving as Dalal (agent) to foreign entities by auctioning mining permits and facilitating the loot of the country and its people in the name of development. A socialist state would keep the interests of the indigenous people ensuring their safety and livelihood, instead of making them vulnerable while serving corporate overlords. It is only through building a true socialist state that we can protect our natural resources and utilise them for the well-being of the people.
[Earlier in August, 9 Dalit-Adivasi activists leading the movement to protest mining in the Niyamgiri hills were booked under the UAPA.]
