Contesting ‘Development’: Popular Protest against a Case of Small-Scale Mining in Central India

In a context where the argument for sustainable development has not taken adequate root, proponents of economic growth-oriented policies view the expansion of mining and extractive industries as an important tool for various ‘development’ agendas, including accelerating economic growth and expanding access to livelihoods. A 2011 strategy paper of the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, stated that the mining sector in India contributes far less than its potential to India’s GDP, and makes a case for further development of the sector (GoI 2011). The view to significantly expand mineral extraction in the interest of economic growth is consistently reiterated in successive Annual Reports of the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, including in 2021–22, irrespective of changes of government at the centre.