Mineral Output At 4099 Crore In August

The total value of mineral production (excluding atomic and minor minerals) in the country has touched Rs 4,099 crore in August, 2000, with crude petroleum and coal being the major contributors.

The contribution of crude petroleum was at Rs 1,533 crore while coal and utilised natural gas contributed Rs 1,413 crore and Rs 678 crore, respectively. Iron ore, limestone and lignite chipped in with Rs 122 crore, Rs 103 crore and Rs 96 crore, respectively.

According to the official figures released yesterday, production of coal was at 226 lakh tonne while that of crude petroleum was Rs 28 lakh tonne. The utilised natural gas recorded 23440 lakh cubic meter, iron ore 51 lakh tonne and lignite 2029 thousand tonne.

The other mineral which showed impressive production figures were bauxite (451 thousand tonne), copper (12,241 tonne) and gold (204 kg).

In terms of corresponding increase in the production, zinc increased by 36 per cent, bauxite 18 per cent and lignite 8 per cent.