The Lok Sabha today passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2016. It further amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. <br/><br/>The Bill provides for transfer of captive mining leases granted otherwise than through auction to facilitate legitimate business transactions. It also defines leased area to expand its scope by including therein dumping of mineral rejects.<br/><br/>The amendments were necessitated following the demand from industry associations stating that there are difficulties in merger and acquisition of a company having captive leases. <br/><br/>The Government had also received representations seeking clarification regarding areas for dumping of mining wastes in view of the observations made by the Supreme Court in a writ petition.