Odisha favours an Innovation Centre for mineral development

Realising that its rich mineral reserves remain unutilised, Odisha government has favoured setting up an Innovation Centre for Development and Value Addition of Mineral Resources in the state.
Though the state is rich in Iron ore, Chromium, Manganese, Bauxite, Coal and beach sands, its potential remained untapped and there is a great scope for creating employment opportunities, improving societal infrastructure besides contribution to national and state economy.
The scope lies in planned development and utilisation of innovative technologies for making value added products from these resources, observed top executives in a brain storming session here yesterday.
Around 30 top executives of mineral based industries in the state, acting director of IIT Bhubaneswar, Director, Institute of Mineral & Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) and others participated in the meeting.

The meeting in its recommendations said the mineral based industries need a clear and simple policy framework for exploration, development and environmental sustainability keeping the National Mineral Policy in mind.
"Incentives for value addition and waste utilisation along with promoting exploration through private industries will expand state's industrial base," Odisha Industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said quoting one of the recommendations.

As technology plays a key role in making economically viable value addition processes and products, technology innovation-cum-incubation centres may be developed following a consortia approach with IMMT and IDCOL as anchor organisations for facilitation, the meeting resolved.
"The concerned industries need to bear part of the expenditure towards meeting their R&D needs in a cooperative mode," Odisha Steel and Mines minister Prafulla Mallick said.

To match with the development in the mineral sector, the meeting resolved that appropriate human resource and skill development is most essential.