Question

What is rat hole mining and in which parts is it practiced?

Answer 1

Most of the minerals in India are nationalised and they can be extracted with due permission of the government. But in most of the tribal areas of north-east India, minerals are owned by individuals or communities. Mining of minerals like coal, iron ore, limestone, dolomite, etc., is done by family members in the form of a long narrow tunnel, known as ‘Rat-hole Mining’.