The House of Representatives is really pushing the government to take some serious action in the mining sector. They want the government to declare a state of emergency to deal with the big problem of illegal mining. This illegal mining is causing the country to lose a lot of money, and the reps are not happy about it.
The reps talked about a report that came out in 2022, and it showed that the mining sector only makes up 0.63% of the country’s money. That’s not a lot at all. And when it comes to the money the government gets, the report said that the mining sector only gives 2.62% of the total revenue. That’s not good enough, and the reps are saying that the country is losing $9 billion every year because of illegal mining. That’s a lot of money!
The reps also mentioned that illegal mining is causing a lot of problems. It’s making things unsafe and causing fights over who controls the mining sites. Some states have even banned illegal mining to try and stop the problems it’s causing.
The reps are saying that the government needs to do something about this right now. They want the government to put money in the 2024 budget to set up special offices to keep an eye on the minerals. They also want a special security team to get rid of all the illegal miners. They’re really serious about this and want the government to take action.