Kunal Bose / September 28, 2010, 0:56 IST Democracy allows a hundred ideas on a given subject to bloom before a policy is finally made. That the draft mining bill will provoke miners, stand alone ones and those who dig earth to remove minerals for captive use, to react is expected. Perhaps that is what the government wants. But what the group of ministers led by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will find gratifying is that the reactions are in the nature of positive suggestions and not in any way strident criticism of the provisions of the draft bill. Whether it is SAIL chairman C S Verma or Tata Steel vice chairman B Muthuraman, observations made on the provision that 26 per cent of mine profits is to be shared with the displaced local people by such notables should ideally be given due consideration by the GoM at its next meeting. Hopefully, before the bill is introduced in the winter session of Parliament, the GoM and subsequently the Cabinet will get the rough edges removed and the new Act replacing the existing Mines & Mineral Development & Regulation Act, 1957 will prepare the ground for big investments in mines in a transparent and expeditious manner. Steel minister Virbhadra Singh who like mines minister B K Handique is a member of GoM acknowledges the