The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2021 brings about several reforms in the mining sector. It aims at optimally using the mineral industry's potential and capabilities in order to increase employment and investment in the mining industry, particularly coal. The Act has introduced several changes. Whether these amendments prove to be an instrument of over-exploitation of the natural resources and the environment or an apparatus to realise our dreams of self-reliance, only time will tell. The judiciary which has often been tagged as environment-biased, is yet to test the validity of this Amendment Act. This article tries to study the changes introduced by the MMDR Amendment Act, 2021 and its implication there off.
