(1) No royalty or permit-fee shall be charged or transit permit required for,—
(i) extraction of ordinary clay or ordinary sand by hereditary potter(s)/ kumhar(s), for use in manufacturing of earthen pots/ artefacts on a cottage industry basis, and whose turnover during a year does not exceed one lakh rupees;
(ii) excavation of the limestone or kankar from the areas which do not form part of any lease or contract or permit area, by the members of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes, agriculturists, whose monthly income does not exceed Rs. 7500/- or as specified by the Government from time to time;
(iii) mining, transportation or storage of clay or sand by hereditary Kumhars or a cooperative society of Kumhars or such other people for making tiles, pots or bricks by traditional means but not by the process of manufacture in kilns or by way of any mechanical device;
(iv) levelling of any agricultural fields by a landowner within his own land where no disposal of ordinary earth outside the area is involved;
(2) No royalty shall be charged for removal of any ordinary earth by a person from his own land for meeting personal land-fill requirements either in another agricultural field or for meeting his personal bona-fide requirements for which he shall obtain a permit from the competent authority;
(3) The rates of royalty or permit fee in the case of a person maintaining his residence in the adjoining rural areas for excavation of masonry stone and/or ordinary clay, and required for bona-fide personal use for the construction of a house, hutment, dharamshala, piao or other building for charitable or philanthropic purposes in such rural area shall be charged at the rates specified in Schedule–III:
Provided that the quantity of mineral excavation shall be permissible only to the extent of bona-fide personal use under a permit issued by the Director or an officer authorised by him in this behalf, on payment of Rs. 200/-. Such permit shall be valid for a period not exceeding three months at any one time;
Provided further that no permit shall be issued for excavation of mineral(s) in any area for which mining lease or contract or permit or any other mineral concession has already been granted.
(4) The relaxations granted under this rule shall not be available for excavation of mineral in any area where use of explosives is inevitable.