pib releases 28-12-2021

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (PIB)

Paper	Topics	Subject
PT Pickups	Who evaluates Mineral deposits in India?	Indian Geography

PT Pickups : Indian Geography

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Who evaluates Mineral deposits in India?

Mineral assessment is a continuous process and a number of exploration agencies like Geological Survey of India [GSI], Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited [MECL], Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research [AMDER], State Departments of Geology and Mining [DGMs], State/Central Undertakings are engaged in the exploration of mineral deposits in the country.

For mineral surveys in the country, GSI is the nodal agency to formulate exploration programmes for various agencies through the Central Geological Programming Board. GSI carries out mapping and systematic exploration for various mineral commodities under different stages e.g. ‘reconnaissance survey' [G4], ‘preliminary exploration’ [G3] and ‘general exploration’ [G2] seamlessly based on the mineral potential following the guidelines of the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) and Mineral Evidence and Mineral Content Rules (MEMC-2015) with an aim to augmenting mineral resource.
Further, the Indian Bureau of Mines [IBM], an attached office of the Ministry of Mines collects exploration data from various agencies. On the basis of information on exploration and the results provided by different agencies or stakeholders, IBM publishes the National Mineral Inventory (NMI) of mineral resources in the country at an interval of once in five years.

Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, for major minerals, the mineral concession can be allotted through auctioning. The power to grant these mineral concessions vests in the State Governments. The extraction of minerals depends on the grant of mineral concessions by the State Government and the utilisation of minerals depends on the economic viability of minerals.
The prime mandate of the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research is to identify and evaluate uranium resources required for the successful implementation of the Atomic Energy program in the country. For implementing this important task investigations are taken up across the length and breadth of the country from Regional Exploration & Research Centres located in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Jamshedpur, Shillong, Jaipur, Nagpur and Hyderabad (Headquarter & South Central Region).