The Kerala Cabinet has decided to lift restrictions on mining of minor minerals, including quarrying.

The State Government had instructed the Director of Mining and Geology on July 17 to stop mining activities in view of the directives of the standing council of the National Green Tribunal.

Permissions withdrawn

All permissions granted after August 5, 2013, were accordingly withdrawn.

This invited the wrath of quarry owners who stopped mining operations in protest, dealing a blow to the construction sector.

But the High Court of Kerala observed that the directives of the National Green Tribunal dated July 5 pertained to sand mining alone. It also granted an interim stay on them.

This is what apparently led the Cabinet to take the decision to withdraw the restrictive orders.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told newspersons here that the decision of the Cabinet would have to await the final orders of the High Court in a case filed by a quarry owner.

Festival kits

The Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 8.25 crore from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for supplying free Onam festival kits to tribes as in the previous years.

The State Civil Supplies Corporation will provide 10 kg of rice and six essential commodities to these families.

The Department of Scheduled Tribes Development would meet the cost of transport of the kits to tribal settlements.

Paddy procurement

The Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 6.3 crore to provide the increased price for paddy procured at the beginning of the second season.

The procurement price was raised from Rs 18 a kg to Rs 19 a kg on March 3. Only Rs 18 a kg was paid for paddy procured before that date during the season.

The balance (Re 1 a kg) would now be paid out, the Chief Minister said.

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