From being the largest contributor to State revenue over a decade back, Goa’s mining sector today is struggling to survive as iron ore mining has been stalled ever since the Supreme Court cancelled 88 mining leases in the state on February 7, 2018. It has affected nearly 3 lakh people, who have been directly and indirectly dependent on mining. The sector that flourished between the years 2007 -2011 is today crippled and facing challenges on multiple fronts. Goa is left with only 260 million tonnes of iron ore in its reserve for extraction. The quantity, available as on March 2021, comprises hardly four per cent of India’s total ore reserves. The data was revealed by the Government Accounting Standard Advisory Board (GASAB) in its Compendium of State Asset Accounts on Mineral and Energy Resources study. Until 2007, Goa used to export around 40-42 million tonnes of low grade ore annually. However, with boom in Chinese steel market, the State exported around 50-54 million tonnes of ore, annually between 2007 and 2011. In 2012, following Justice M B Shah Commission, the then Manohar Parrikar-led government suspended mining activities.
