A Study on the Socio-Economic Impact of Mining Ban on the Households in Goa’s Mining Belt

Mining is one of the economic activities practiced in the small state of Goa apart from agriculture, tourism and fishing. With the advent of mining activities in the areas, the practice of traditional occupations was difficult. Mining industry brings lucrative incomes but it also comes with a lot of environmental hazards. The protests and agitation that took place against rampant mining operations owing to the Chinese boom in the last decade compelled the Supreme Court to order ban in September, 2012. With this background the current study aims at assessing the impact of this ban on the socio-economic characteristics of the households in the mining belt of Goa. For the purpose, an interview schedule was forwarded to 256 respondents in the mining belt. The results of the paired sample t-test showed a significant difference in the economic status of the households in the mining regions. Standard deviation showed the wide disparities in the incomes. The study also revealed a change in the occupational structure. The study suggests the need to educate people about the nature of mining industry and thus a need to invest into alternate income avenues instead of entirely relying on the industry which is temporal.