BY VENKAT PARSA NEW DELHI A transparent mines regulatory regime is on the cards. The Union mines ministry plans to develop a Mining Tenement System, which will help in creating a transparent regulatory regime for prospecting and mining licences in collaboration with the state governments. Several states are already experimenting with similar systems and a sharing of experience as well as data will be in the overall interest of the mineral sector. According to sources in the ministry of mines, the government will put through the required regulatory framework in place at the earliest to speed up progress in the mining sector, which has emerged as a key sector in achieving economic progress. The mining sector is set to go a long distance within the next decade. A senior mines ministry official said the Gujarat government has offered to collaborate with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in the National Geochemical Mapping project, since it has the potential for accelerating the pace of economic development. This collaboration will result in GSI being able to fully map the state of Gujarat in just a few years instead of the proposed 55 years. GSI is also planning to host its 43rd meeting of the Central Geological Programming Board on September 29, 2008, to discuss in detail the state governments proposals for a geological survey, exploration and special studies. The Centre is eliciting the views of the state governments on geoscientific activities, including mineral explorations, and other geo sciences issues like disaster management, landslide studies, environmental studies