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A key clearance has been given to a bauxite and marl mining project in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district, nearly 1.6 and six kilometres from India's first marine wildlife sanctuary and first marine national park, respectively, on the Gulf of Kachchh's southern shore. While the marine wildlife sanctuary (spread over 458 square kilometre) was established in 1980, the marine national park (spanning 168 square kilometre) was created two years later to protect and conserve marine flora and fauna. According to Gujarat's forest and environment department, a complex coral reef ecosystem and extensive mangroves dominate the seascape of the marine park's shallow water, and the eco-system hosts diverse species. Mining has been proposed to take place at the Mevasa Block in an area spanning over five hectares (ha). The project was recommended for grant of environmental clearance (EC) by the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the environment ministry's in its meeting on July 29. The ...
State-owned Nalco is open to venturing into mining of rare earth elements (REEs) with its bid advisor conducting due diligence on domestic auctions for REEs, magnesium and chromite blocks, its CMD Brijendra Pratap Singh Monday said. The move signals National Aluminium Company Ltd's (Nalco) diversification strategy beyond bauxite and alumina, targeting high-value critical minerals essential for electronics, defence, renewables and electric vehicles. REEs are important for magnets in wind turbines, EV motors and missile guidance systems. India, heavily import-dependent with negligible domestic output, views REE self-reliance as key to Atmanirbhar Bharat and reducing China's 80 per cent global dominance amid US-China trade tensions. In an interview to PTI here, the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) said the bid advisor will assess mine viability, optimal acquisition premiums and participation in upcoming auctions. "The bid advisor will assess if we should participate in domestic .
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has estimated that Jammu and Kashmir holds nearly one billion tonnes of limestone reserves, a senior central government official has said. Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Mines Sanjay Lohiya noted that the Union Territory also has significant potential for other key minerals, which the J&K government intends to explore and utilize for the benefit of the people of the region. Expressing satisfaction over Jammu and Kashmir becoming part of India's mineral block auction map with the launch of the first limestone block auction and roadshow here, the official said the Centre would extend full support to accelerate exploration, development and investments in the sector. Union minister G Kishan Reddy, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah and his deputy Surinder Choudhary jointly launched the e-auction of seven limestone mineral blocks, covering about 314 hectares, across the districts of Anantnag, Rajouri, and Poonch here on Monday. "All
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the mining policy being framed by the Centre would provide ease of doing business as all clearances will be given in three months so that the extraction process starts in the fourth month. He said all bottlenecks would be removed under the new mining policy. The Minister for Road Transport and Highways was speaking at the "India@100 charting Vidarbha's journey to a Developed India" in Nagpur. Talking about various developments taking place in Gadchiroli district in Vidarbha in the fields of mining and steel, he said a mining policy was being framed by the central government. "This mining policy came up for an approval in the cabinet meeting recently. However, the prime minister was not fully convinced about it and after I gave some suggestions, he (the PM) directed the cabinet secretary to discuss and review the policy with me," he said. Gadkari said he suggested that the policy should allow the mining process to start as soon as ...