INDIA YEAR BOOK 1 RECOMMENDED BY THE TOPPERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 INDEX 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 MINISTRY OF MINES National Mineral Exploration Trust The Government notified National Mineral Exploration Trust Rules, 2015 and has also established National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) in pursuance of subsection (1) of Section 9C of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 1957, with primary objective to promote regional and detailed mineral exploration in the country to increase overall mineral production and achieve sustainable development of the mineral sector. Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana The government launched Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) which is to be implemented by the district mineral foundations of the respective districts. PMKKKY will help in creating a congenial mining environment, ameliorate the condition of the affected person and create a win-win situations for the stakeholders. A national portal for DMF is being developed which will help monitor the implementation of projects under the PMKKKY scheme. The monitoring of PMKKKY would be done under “DISHA”, the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee of Ministry of Rural Development to promote synergy and convergence for greater impact. National Mineral Exploration Policy Government unveiled National Mineral Exploration Policy, 2016 (NMEP) which spells out the strategy and outlines the action plan that the Government will adopt to ensure comprehensive exploration of country’s mineral resources (non-fuel and non-coal). The NMEP primarily aims at accelerating the exploration activity in the country through enhanced participation of the private sector. Transparency, Auction, Monitoring and Resource Augmentation To facilitate and expedite various clearances/approvals required after the mineral block is allocated, an Inter-ministerial Group has been constituted to expedite the requisite clearances to enable the early start of mining activity. The Ministry has developed a Transparency, Auction, Monitoring and Resource Augmentation (TAMRA) portal and mobile application. This will be an interactive platform for all stakeholders to compress the timelines for statutory/ other clearances. Gold As per UNFC system, as in 2015, the total resources of gold ore (primary and placer) in the country were estimated at 527.96 million tonnes. Out of these, 17.23 million tonnes were placed under reserves category and the remaining 510.73 million tonnes under remaining resources category. Total resources of gold (primary), in terms of metal, stood at 654.74 tonnes. 13 Out of these, 70.09 tonnes were placed under reserves category and 584.65 tonnes under remaining resources category. The resources include placer-type gold ore in Kerala estimated at 26.12 million tonnes containing 5.86 tonnes gold metal. The largest resources in terms of gold ore (primary) are located in Bihar (44 per cent) followed by Rajasthan (25 per cent) and Karnataka (21 per cent), West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh (3 per cent each), Telangana & Madhya Pradesh (2 per cent each). Remaining very small quantity of resources of ore are located in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In terms of metal content, Karnataka remained on top followed by Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, etc. Iron Ore Hematite and magnetite are the most important iron ores in India. About 59 per cent hematite ore deposits are found in the eastern sector. About 92 per cent magnetite ore deposits occur in southern sector, especially in Karnataka. Of these, hematite is considered to be superior because of its higher grade. Indian deposits of hematite belong to the precambrian iron ore series and the ore is within banded iron ore formations occurring as massive, laminated, friable and also in powdery form. As per UNFC system, the total resources of hematite as in 2015 are estimated at 22,487 million tonnes of which 5,442 million tonnes (24 per cent) are under ‘reserves’ category and the balance 17,045 million tonnes (76 per cent) are under ‘remaining resources’ category. By grades, lumps constitute about 56 per cent followed by fines (21 per cent), lumps with fines (13 per cent) and the remaining 10 per cent are black iron ore, not-known and other grades. Major resources of hematite are located in Odisha - 7,559 million tonnes (34 per cent), Jharkhand - 5,286 million tonnes (24 per cent), Chhattisgarh - 4,858 million tonnes (22 per cent), Karnataka - 2,467 million tonnes (11 per cent) and Goa - 1189 million tonnes (5 per cent). The balance resources of hematite are spread in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Magnetite is another principal iron ore that also occurs in the form of oxide, either in igneous or metamorphosed banded magnetite-silica formation, possibly of sedimentary origin. As per UNFC system, the total resources of magnetite as in 2015 are estimated at 10,789 million tonnes of which ‘reserves’ constitute a mere 53 million tonnes while 10,736 million tonnes are placed under ‘remaining resources’. Classification on the basis of grades shows 20 per cent resources of metallurgical grade while 80 per cent resources belong to unclassified, not known and other grades. The resources of coal washery and foundry grades constitute meagre proportions. India’s 96 per cent magnetite resources are located in four states, namely, Karnataka - 7,802 million tonnes (72 per cent) followed by Andhra Pradesh - 1,392 million tonnes (13 per cent), Rajasthan - 617 million tonnes (6 per cent) and Tamil Nadu - 507 million tonnes (5 per cent). 14 Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Nagaland together account for the remaining 4 per cent resources. Diamond Diamond occurrences are reported since prehistoric times in the country. Presently, diamond fields of India are grouped into four regions: 1) South Indian tract of Andhra Pradesh, comprising parts of Anantapur, Cuddapah, Guntur, Krishna, and Kurnool districtsand Mahaboobnagar in Telangana; 2) Central Indian tract of Madhya Pradesh, comprising Panna belt and Chhatarpur districts; 3) Behradin-Kodawali area in Raipur district and Tokapal, Dugapal, etc. areas in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh; and 4) Eastern Indian tract mostly of Odisha, lying between Mahanadi and Godavari valleys. As per the UNFC system as in 2015 all India resources of diamond are placed at around 31.84 million carats. Out of these, 0.96 million carats are placed under reserves category and 30.87 million carats under remaining resources category. By grades, about 2.38 per cent resources are of gem variety, 2.64 per cent of industrial variety and bulk of the resources (95 per cent) are placed under unclassified category. By states, Madhya Pradesh accounts for about 90.18 per cent resources followed by Andhra Pradesh 5.73 per cent and Chhattisgarh 4.10 per cent. Ilmenite Ilmenite and rutile along with other heavy minerals are important constituents of beach sand deposits found right from Ratnagiri coast (Maharashtra) in the west to Odisha coast in the east. These minerals are concentrated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. As per the UNFC system, the total resources of ilmenite in 2015 are estimated at 355.48 million tonnes (including leucoxene), inclusive of indicated, inferred and speculative categories. Geological Survey of India Geological Survey of India (GSI) the premier earth science organization of the country, is the principal provider of basic earth science information to the Government, Industry and the geoscientific sector. Beginning in 1851 as a department engaged primarily in research for coal, GSI in its last 163 years of existence has expanded its activities manifold and has been involved either directly or indirectly in almost all areas of nation building. The vibrant steel, coal, metal, cement and power industries which expanded phenomenally in the post-independence era, bear eloquent testimony to GSI’s contribution to national development. GSI is now the custodian of one of the largest and most comprehensive earth science databases developed over the last one and half century. 15 Its Charter of operation laid down by the Government of India details the scope of activities and responsibilities of GSI that encompasses practically the entire gamut of earth science activities. Creation and updation of national geoscientific information and knowledge base through ground, marine and airborne surveys and their dissemination are the primary goals of GSI. The present activity domains of GSI include surface mapping, aerial and remote sensing surveys, offshore surveys, exploration for mineral and energy resources, engineering geology, geotechnical investigations, geo environmental studies, geology of water resources, geohazard studies, research and development, training and capacity building and information services etc. MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Initiatives for broadening people-to people ties continued side-by-side. In Nepal, the Arun III hydro-electric project and the Nepal India Ramayana Circuit were launched in May during Prime Minister’s state visit. The Prime Ministers of India and