In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--
         ¹[(a) "composite licence" means the prospecting licence-cum-mining lease which is a two stage concession granted for the purpose of undertaking prospecting operations followed by mining operations in a seamless manner;
             (aa) "dispatch" means the removal of minerals or mineral products from the leased area and includes the consumption of minerals and mineral products within such leased area;
                 ²[(aaa) "exploration licence" means a licence granted for undertaking reconnaissance operations or prospecting operations or both in respect of minerals specified in the Seventh Schedule;]
             (ab) "Government company" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (45) of section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013);
             (ac) "leased area" means the area specified in the mining lease within which the mining operations can be undertaken and includes the non- mineralized area required and approved for the activities falling under the definition of "minesbqts as referred to in clause (i);
             (ad) "minerals" includes all minerals except minerals oils;
             (ae) "minerals concession" means either a reconnaissance permit, prospecting licence, minig lease, composite licence ²[,exploration licence] or a combination of any of these and the expression "concession" shall be construed accordingly;]
         (b) "mineral oils" includes natural gas and petroleum;
         (c) "mining lease" means a lease granted for the purpose of undertaking mining operations, and includes a sub-lease granted for such purpose;
         (d) "mining operations" means any operations undertaken for the purpose of winning any mineral;
        (e) "minor minerals" means building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, ordinary sand other than sand used for prescribed purposes, and any other mineral which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a minor mineral;
             ³[(ea) "notified minerals" means any mineral specified in the Fourth Schedule;]
         (f) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
             ⁴[(fa) "production" or any derivative of the word "production" means the winning or raising of mineral within the leased area for the purpose of processing or dispatch;]
         (g) "prospecting licence" means a licence granted for the purpose of undertaking prospecting operations;
     ⁵[*                         *                     *                     *                     *
         (h) "prospecting operations" means any operations undertaken for the purpose of exploring, locating or proving mineral deposit ; ⁶***
             ⁷[(ha) "reconnaissance operations" means any operations undertaken for preliminary prospecting of a mineral through regional, aerial, geophysical or geochemical surveys and geological mapping, include pitting, trenching, drilling and sub-surface excavation;]
             (hb) "reconnaissance permit" means a permit granted for the purpose of undertaking reconnaissance operations; ⁸[***]
                 ⁴[(hba) "Schedule" means the Schedules appended to the Act;]
             ⁹[(hc) "Special Court" means a Court of Session designated as Special Court under sub-section (1) of section 30B; and]
         (i) the expressions, "mine" and "owner", have the meaning assigned to them in the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952).
     ⁴[Explanation.--For the purpose of this clause, --
             (i) a mine continues to be a mine till exhaustion of its mineable mineral reserve and a mine may have different owners during different times from the grant of first mining lease till exhaustion of such mineable mineral reserve;
             (ii) the expression "mineral reserve" means the economically minearble part of a measured and indicated mineral resource.]