Parliament proceedings | PSU recruitment, changes to Mines Act discussed in Lok Sabha

MPs from TN, Kerala raise issues related to NLC and mining of atomic minerals

Concerns over changes in recruitment policies of public sector undertakings, proposed changes to the Mines and Mineral (Regulation and Development) Act, and irregularities in administration of blood banks at AIIMS-Bhopal, were some of the key issues that were raised in the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour on August 2.

DMK leader T.R. Baalu raised the issue of recruitment by Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) based on Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) scores. Mr. Baalu claimed that NLC was in violation of social justice and reservation policies. “GATE is only to select graduates for post-graduate courses in engineering and technology streams,” he said, adding that NLC has already selected 299 people as Graduate Executive Trainees.

Revolutionary Socialist Party member N.K. Premachandran asked the government withdraw the proposed changes to the Mines and Mineral (Regulation and Development) Act that would allow private sector companies to mine beach sand minerals.

Mr. Premachandran said the amendments proposed by the government aims to include eight of the 12 atomic minerals, including lithium-bearing minerals, zirconium-bearing minerals, beach sand minerals, titanium-bearing minerals, and minerals of rare earth group (containing uranium and thorium), into a new category of ‘critical and strategic minerals’.

He said as per the current law, only State-run companies are allowed to mine beach sand minerals but after the changes, private companies too would mine them and that could have national security implications.

Raising the issue of the recent killing of a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana by the mining mafia, BJP Lok Sabha member Brijendra Singh demanded setting up of a taskforce on the lines of the National Investigation Agency to curb illegal mining across the country.

Another BJP member, Uday Pratap Singh from Hoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh), sought appointment of administrative officers as Directors and Presidents of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He said hospital administration is a specialised field and cited irregularities in administration of blood banks at AIIMS-Bhopal, where patients were given blood of the wrong blood group.