Haryana govt approves increasing mines dept posts to curb illegal mining

Chandigarh, Dec 8 (PTI) The Haryana government has approved a proposal to increase the number of posts in the mines and geology department from 632 to 890 as part of an effort to strengthen its enforcement machinery and curb illegal mining.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini here on Monday.

The Cabinet approved the recommendations of the Rationalisation Commission, which was set up to review manpower needs across government departments, an official statement said.

The commission, after several rounds of deliberations, had recommended raising the sanctioned strength of the mines and geology department to 848 posts.

After discussing the proposal with the mines and geology minister, the department suggested adding 42 more posts to further strengthen its enforcement wing, taking the total number of posts to 890.

According to the government, the increase in the manpower will help the department improve the management of mineral exploration and mining activities. It will also support the operation of digital platforms, besides other citizen-service portals.

Officials said the department has been facing a shortage of technically-skilled staff, which has affected the regulation and monitoring of mineral-related activities as well as the implementation of state and central government initiatives. PTI VSD RC