The draft Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2010, which proposes to replace the existing law that has existed since 1957, has some welcome and much-needed features to check the scourge of illegal mining, ensure that the industry is less destructive of the environment, and includes all stakeholders in the profits produced. The problem is, it is still a draft, and will undergo several revisions before it is finally presented to Parliament. However, as it stands at present, it appears as if the government has learnt some lessons from the ongoing Maoist insurgency in mineral-rich tribal areas, the agitations in Singur and Nandigram and the movement against SEZs in Goa and other parts of the country. Admittedly, the proposed law is an attempt to bring to fruition the National Mineral Policy, 1993, which sought to encourage private investment, especially foreign direct investment (FDI), and to bring in state-of-the-art technology in the mineral sector. However, it has taken the objections of the affected communities into consideration as well. In the background of the growing global demand for metals and minerals and the country