Assessing the Environmental and Social Impact of Large Scale Mining Operations in India: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Since the inception of human society, there have been mining activities, and since the Stone Age, minerals have aided in advancing human civilization. The mining sector directly influences the macro economy by enhancing infrastructure, providing employment, fostering rural community development, and opening up new derivatives and downstream industries. Numerous vast deposits of numerous essential minerals and their small- to large-scale mining help India's economy thrive. In the past, with little regard for the environment, the local people, or development mining operations were conducted primarily for the advantage of the mining industry. However, even beyond the actual limits of individual mining leases, the extraction of coal and other minerals has resulted in varied degrees of social footprints through the destruction of the environment, implications for human health, and social displacement. It is the operating miners' duty to make sure that all pertinent problems and effects are recognized from the outset. The primary areas of environmental and social implications include impacts on biodiversity and habitat, problems with waste management, indirect effects, poverty alleviation, and wealth distribution.