RTI for Jharkhand Department of Mines and Geology — Mining Lease, Coal, Mica and DMF Fund Records

Jharkhand sits on one of India's richest mineral deposits. The state is India's largest producer of coal and holds significant reserves of iron ore, mica, copper, bauxite, and other minerals spread across its 24 districts. This mineral wealth, governed under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act), comes with chronic governance challenges: illegal mining, royalty evasion, lease violations, and inadequate community benefit from mineral revenues. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is the most effective legal tool available to citizens, community groups, journalists, and researchers to demand verified records from the Jharkhand Department of Mines and Geology — lease deeds, royalty statements, inspection reports, illegal mining action-taken reports (ATRs), and District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund utilisation statements.

The Jharkhand Department of Mines and Geology

The Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Jharkhand is the nodal state authority for the administration and regulation of all minor and major mineral mining leases in Jharkhand, in conjunction with the Central Government's role under the MMDR Act, 1957. The Department functions through the Directorate of Mines in Ranchi (the state capital) and a network of District Mining Officers (DMOs) in each of Jharkhand's mineral-producing districts.

The Department's core functions include:

• Grant, renewal, and monitoring of mining leases for minor minerals under the MMDR Act and the Jharkhand Minor Mineral Concession Rules
• Assessment and collection of royalties from lessees for all minerals extracted in the state
• Detection of and action against illegal mining — unauthorised extraction, transportation without transit permits, and mineral theft
• Conducting inspections of active mines to verify compliance with lease conditions, mining plans, and the MMDR Act
• Administration of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) trust accounts in each district and overseeing PMKKKY fund utilisation
• Maintaining mining lease registers and records of all active, expired, and cancelled leases
• Issuing e-transit passes for mineral transportation and monitoring through the Jharkhand Mineral Transport Management System

The Department is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005 and is fully bound by its disclosure obligations.

Jharkhand's Mineral Geography

Understanding which district and which mineral type are involved is essential for directing your RTI to the correct office.

Jharkhand is also located within the Fifth Schedule area of the Indian Constitution for much of its tribal belt, making forest rights, land acquisition for mining, and DMF utilisation particularly sensitive governance issues.

What Information Can You Seek Through RTI?

1. Mining Lease Records

Mining leases granted by the State Government under the MMDR Act are maintained in the lease register at the DMO's office for the relevant district, with a central register at the Directorate of Mines, Ranchi.

You can ask for:

• Certified copy of the lease deed for Mining Lease No. XXX — lessee name, mineral, area, duration, conditions
• Lease register extract for all active leases for mineral in district — lessee names, areas, and validity periods
• Whether a specific lease has been renewed, transferred, or cancelled and the official order doing so
• Copy of the latest mining plan and progressive mine closure plan submitted by the lessee, as required under Rule 22 of the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960
• Status of a pending lease application — date received, whether it has been forwarded to the Ministry of Mines (for major minerals), current stage, and reasons for delay if any

For major minerals (coal, iron ore, copper — administered jointly with the Central Government), the Ministry of Mines and the state government share jurisdiction. The DMO and Directorate of Mines hold state-side records.

2. Royalty Payment Records

Royalty is the primary revenue stream the State receives from mineral extraction. Under the MMDR Act, royalty rates are fixed by the Central Government (Schedule II of the Act) and collected by the state.

Key questions:

• Royalty demand and collection records for Lease No. XXX — year-wise amounts demanded, amounts paid, arrears
• District-wise total royalty collected from mineral for the financial year YYYY-YY
• Whether any lessee has been issued a notice for royalty default — amount outstanding and current status
• Whether any royalty arrears have been written off or settled through compromise — details and authority who approved

3. Illegal Mining — Action Taken Reports

Illegal mining — extraction without a valid lease, extraction beyond lease boundaries, and mineral transportation without transit permits — is a persistent and documented problem in Jharkhand, particularly in the coal belt. Coal theft from colliery dumps and moving rakes in the Dhanbad–Bokaro corridor, and illegal mica picking in Koderma, are among the most widely reported forms.

RTI applications to the District Mining Officer can seek:

• Number of illegal mining complaints received during period and their current status (FIR filed / compounded / closed)
• ATR on a specific complaint — the inspection report, findings, and action taken
• List of FIRs registered at the instance of the Mines Department for illegal mining in district during year — police station, FIR number, accused names, and current status
• Seizure records — minerals seized, vehicles impounded, and disposal details
• Number of notices under Section 21 of the MMDR Act issued to illegal miners — amounts assessed and recovered

4. Mine Inspection Reports

Every District Mining Officer and authorised Mine Inspector is required to conduct periodic inspections of active leases to verify compliance with lease conditions, mining plans, safety norms, and the MMDR Act.

Ask for:

• Dates and outcomes of all inspections conducted for Lease No. XXX / Mine Name XXX during period
• Copy of the inspection report — findings, violations noted, and directions issued
• Any show-cause notice issued following inspection — copy of notice and the lessee's response
• Whether the lessee has complied with the directions of the inspecting officer — compliance report if any

Inspection reports are official records held by the DMO and are squarely within the RTI Act's disclosure framework.

5. DMF Fund Utilisation

The District Mineral Foundation (DMF) — created under Section 9B of the MMDR Act, inserted by the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015 — is one of the most important entitlements for mining-affected communities in Jharkhand. Every mining lessee must contribute a percentage of royalty to the DMF trust of the relevant district. DMF funds are to be spent on welfare activities for mining-affected persons and areas under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), with at least 60% of funds mandatorily directed to high-priority sectors: drinking water supply, environment and pollution control, healthcare, women and child welfare, education, and livelihood.

Jharkhand's mineral-rich districts — Dhanbad, Bokaro, West Singhbhum, Ramgarh, Latehar, Koderma, Hazaribagh, Giridih, and Palamu — have accumulated substantial DMF corpora, yet affected communities frequently have no visibility into how these funds are spent.

RTI questions for DMF transparency:

• Total DMF corpus accumulated as on date for district
• Annual inflows to the DMF trust — royalty contributions received from each lessee during year
• Project-wise expenditure — project name, village/block, sanctioned amount, amount released, physical progress, and completion status
• Whether the 60% high-priority sector allocation mandated under PMKKKY guidelines has been maintained
• Composition of the DMF Governing Council and Management Committee for district — member names, designations, and whether mining-affected community representatives have been included as required
• Whether any DMF funds have lapsed or been transferred to the State Government's general account

This information is critical for tribal communities and others living adjacent to mines who are supposed to be the primary beneficiaries of DMF spending.

Directing Your RTI: Directorate vs DMO

If the CPIO you file with does not hold the specific records you need, they are required under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act to transfer your application within five days to the CPIO of the office that does hold the records, and inform you of the transfer.

Filing Your RTI

Jharkhand state government offices, including the Department of Mines and Geology, are listed on the Central RTI portal at rtionline.gov.in. To file:

1. Go to rtionline.gov.in
2. Select Jharkhand as the ministry/state
3. Select Department of Mines and Geology / Directorate of Mines or the relevant District Mining Officer office
4. Draft your application — be specific: include lease numbers, mine names, district, and the time period for which records are sought
5. Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee
6. Submit and note your registration number for tracking

You may also file by post or in person at the relevant DMO office or the Directorate of Mines, Ranchi, by addressing the application to the CPIO and enclosing a ₹10 postal order or demand draft.

Useful Related RTI Filings

For a complete picture of mining governance in Jharkhand, consider filing simultaneously with:

• Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB): For environmental compliance records, consent to operate status, and pollution complaints related to a mine — see the guide on RTI for JPCB
• Jharkhand Labour Department: For child labour inspection records in mica mines (Koderma / Giridih) and mine worker welfare
• Ministry of Mines (Central Government): For major mineral lease policy, national-level data, and MMDR Act amendment records
• Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS): For mine safety inspection reports and accident inquiry records (DGMS is a Central Government body under the Ministry of Labour)
• District Collector / Revenue Department: For land acquisition records related to mine expansion in tribal areas

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1) of the RTI Act): If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, gives an incomplete reply, or wrongly denies information, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at the Directorate of Mines or the relevant DMO office within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. The FAA must decide within 30 days (extendable to 45 days with reasons).

Second Appeal (Section 19(3) of the RTI Act): If the FAA's order is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Jharkhand Information Commission (JIC) within 90 days. The JIC is the correct second appeal body for all Jharkhand State Government public authorities, including the Department of Mines and Geology and all DMOs. The Central Information Commission (CIC) does not have jurisdiction over state government bodies; do not file your second appeal there.

Penalty (Section 20 of the RTI Act): If the JIC finds that the CPIO has, without reasonable cause, failed to provide information, provided false or misleading information, or obstructed access to information, the JIC may impose a daily penalty of ₹250 per day of the failure, up to a maximum of ₹25,000 on that CPIO personally. The JIC may also recommend departmental disciplinary action.