After renewing nearly 43 iron ore mining leases by signing lease deeds in the last one month, the State government notified ‘The Goa Grant of Mining Leases Policy, 2014’. The policy, notified following the recent Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act amendment ordinance 2015, has no changes in it. The policy, made public in November, rules out auctioning of mining leases, while renewing the same under section 8(3) of the Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act. Government in its policy, has classified 90-odd mining leases, operational prior to suspension in September 2012, into three categories: Mines that have committed no violation or have minimal violation; Mines indicted for violation of rule 37 and 38 of MCR; Major violators. In the first phase, mines under the first category would be considered for renewal. The government recently lifted the temporary suspension imposed on mining activities that had been imposed on September 2012. The Supreme Court, that is hearing the illegal mining case, had termed mining operations on deemed provision post 2007 as “illegal” and had directed the State to draft a policy for granting mining leases as per law. A total of 90 mines were operational under deemed provision after government failed to do second renewal of the mines.