The Government has decided to set up an independent authority to curb illegal mining. The decision to set up an independent regulator, the National Mining Regulatory Authority (NMRA), for the mining sector was taken by a Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to iron out inter-ministerial differences on the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR Bill 2011) in its recent meeting.The GoM headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had resolved that NRMA will be a body to review sectoral issues and would have the power to investigate and launch prosecution against cases of large-scale illegal mining. An official release said that the ministerial panel also recommended the establishment of similar authorities by state governments at their level to curb illegal mining. It said the authority, besides keeping a close vigil on illegal mining and reviewing sectoral issues will also advise the government on policy and strategy, including royalty rates.