The essays in this book seek to unravel the labyrinth of mining in which both the state and the markets are implicated. In the preface, Rakesh Kalshian says that from 1997-2007 steel and mining giants like the Tatas, Jindals and Birlas as well as global mining corporations such as Arcelor Mittal, POSCO, Vedanta Resources, Phelps Dodge, Rio Tinto, CRA, De Beers, Anglo American, BHP Minerals, ProAm, Alcan, Norsk Hydro and Ashton Mining grabbed approvals to explore and mine iron, coal, diamond, gold, bauxite, copper, silver and associated minerals in Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board gave approvals to 73 joint venture companies as of July 31, 2005. While rich mineral pits were opened up, they were on lands occupied by Adivasis and in forests with rich flora and fauna. As the nation and the states claimed sovereign rights over the resources in these territories, Adivasis pushed off their lands were fighting a battle for justice and survival.
