Need collaborative research to ensure uninterrupted supply of minerals: Pralhad Joshi

Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday called upon the geoscientific community to come up with innovative means of finding deep-seated and concealed mineral resources while causing least ecological disturbance.

Addressing a gathering after presenting the National Geoscience Awards, 2018, for outstanding contributions in the field of geosciences, mining and allied areas, Joshi said the need of the hour was to strengthen the synergy between the professional and academic institutions working in the field of geoscience.

Highlighting the transformative investor-friendly interventions undertaken in the mining sector, Joshi said that the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015, has brought in transparency in competitive auction process and grant of mineral concessions.

"The setting up of National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) and District Mineral Foundation (DMF) are steps in this regard. The government has also set up the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKY) to ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas," he said.

The minister said: "The government has brought out the National Mineral Policy 2019 and aims to increase mineral production (in value terms) by 200 per cent in seven years."

He expressed hope that the mineral potential zones would be identified leading to auctionable mineral blocks after the completion of National Aero-geophysical Mapping Program covering 27 lakh line km of Obvious Geological Potential by the GSI.

In the current field season, Geological Survey of India has almost doubled its exploration activity by implementing about 400 mineral exploration projects on various mineral commodities, he said.

The National Geoscience Awards were given in ten disciplines covering mineral exploration, groundwater exploration, mining technology, mineral beneficiation, sustainable mineral development, basic and applied geosciences, geo-environmental studies and natural hazards investigation.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Professor Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi received the award for excellence for his significant global contributions in the field of aquatic biogeochemical research while Sohini Ganguly of Goa University was conferred with the Young Scientist Award-2018 for her significant work in the fields of petrology, volcanology and geochemistry.