Rajasthan to announce new mineral policy soon: CM

The Rajasthan government will soon announce a forward looking mining policy that will promote mineral industry in the state as well as attract investment in the sector, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said Thursday.

"The new mining policy will address not only the concerns of the industry but at the same time will proactively promote the dimensional stones. It would also promote value addition in mining and generate employment opportunities," she said, while inaugurating the 8th edition of the India StoneMart 2015 here.

The four-day international stone industry exhibition, India StoneMart 2015, has been organized by the Centre for Development of Stones (CDoS) with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as co-organiser. Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) is the principal sponsor of the event.

"The state, which is rich in mineral wealth accounts for over 90 percent of the reserves of marble, sandstone and flaggy limestone in the country. However, these deposits are not only sources of wealth but are a great source of livelihood, especially in rural areas to the tune of 1 million people," said Raje.

The chief minister said that for centuries India has been known for its treasures - one of which is the dimensional stone. In fact, along with spices, jewels, silk and cotton, even dimensional stone are truly the ambassadors of India in terms of its wide usage globally, she said.

India StoneMart 2015 is one of the largest international expositions on stone industry, which comprehensively showcases the wide variety of natural dimensional stones, ancillary products and the services provided.

The event brings together various stakeholders of the stone industry - domestic and overseas producers, exporters, importers, consumers and buyers, experts, technology providers, architects, builders, developers, corporates, among others.

For the first time in the India Stonemart, a three-day Jaipur Architecture Festival (JAF) has been organized alongside.