Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Friday that he had warned Vedanta Resources against retrenching employees in the face of the crisis of the mining industry in the state.
Some recent media reports had said that the mining giant may cut jobs.
"I don't know who will get mining leases (in a fresh allotment) as the matter is in court. But I told Vedanta officials not to resort to retrenchment," the chief minister said.
"As and when mining starts, the government will cooperate with the companies which take back the retrenched staff," he said.
"We want the mining to resume in Goa because locals should get employment," he added.
Vedanta Resources spokesperson could not be contacted for a comment on reports about retrenchment.
The Supreme Court in February 2018 set aside 88 mining leases in the state for illegalities in renewal procedure, which has brought the iron ore mining to a halt.