Mumbai, July 2 -- Maharashtra will allow farmers to extract minor minerals such as sand, stone, soil and murum from government land without paying royalties when used for agricultural purposes, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Thursday.
Announcing the decision during the ongoing state legislature's monsoon session, Bawankule said providing minor minerals to farmers on a 'royalty-free' basis was aimed at reducing costs for farmers undertaking non-commercial agricultural work, including farm road repairs and land improvement while terming it a significant relief for the farming community..
Under the new provision, farmers will be permitted to source minerals such as murum, sand, stone, and soil from government-owned land wi...