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Out of control: mining, regulatory failure, and human rights in India

Mining firms in India employ hundreds of thousands of people and are seen as central for rapid economic growth. But mining can be a uniquely destructive industry if it is not properly regulated. Irresponsibly run mining operations can damage the health, environment and livelihoods of the same local residents who are meant to benefit from mining. Out of Control: Mining, Regulatory Failure and Human Rights in India details how Indian mining firms have escaped oversight by government regulators charged with protecting the public from harm. It describes a dangerous mix of weak institutions and poorly designed policies that have rendered key safeguards ineffectual and fueled endemic corruption. India’s mining sector has witnessed a number of high-profile scandals in recent years, many of which were the foreseeable products of a broken regulatory system. This report combines an analysis of regulatory failures that have direct human rights implications with primary research in the affected communities. Through case studies that examine the concrete impact of mining problems in the states of Goa and Karnataka, the report links national-level policy failures directly to real-world human rights problems.

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