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Arun Joshi
India is residence to invaluable minerals throughout the nation and these are its best belongings and contributor to the financial system and nationwide safety. Odisha, wealthy with big reserves of many such minerals makes out a case for centered research and evaluation how mining minerals can carry it quite a lot of wealth and add to its popularity within the nationwide spectrum as a driving drive within the nationwide safety. The nationwide safety isn’t all concerning the deployment of troopers and the wars that they’re assigned to combat on borders or maintain the inner disturbances, the very idea of nationwide safety invokes the inside wealth. It’s necessary that how the pure sources are preserved, tapped and used within the general improvement. The untapped pure sources are like corpses having no use for anybody. The benefit travels to the forces who wish to see India as a weak and struggling nation.
The minerals are all-time massive supply of giant wealth, that gives [prospects of marketing, jobs and running of industries. These figure prominently in the overall health of the state and the nation . Odisha has got its own place, but unfortunately that has neither been registered nor recognized as there have been less efforts than need to put it as a leading state in this sector.
The problem arises when its mining blocs are caught in the political indecision. The mineral wealth not only suffers from lack of the will to auction but also leaves it under wraps. That is suicidal. The delay in auction and in mining deals a blow to the opportunities and hits at future prospects of land and its future , and also shrinks the contribution toward national economy.. Odisha which is having treasure trove of the minerals , and recent discovery of diamond in the Dharambandha area of Nuapada district added to the vitality of Odisha’s treasure trove.
Odisha is a state that has been blessed with large reserves of minerals like, bauxite, Chinavlay chemicals , coal and granties. This is a recorded fact . And this is what makes this state a big stake holder in the mineral sector . Studies have also pointed that the state has among other minerals, copper ore, lead ore, titanium bearing vanadiferous magnetite, talc/ soap stone and high magnesia igneous rocks.
The mineral wealth of the state is known world over , and the people from across the world have been visiting the state to stake their claim on their share in the mineral wealth .This is a good sign, but a better policy is needed to get the full fortune out of this wealth.
A recent release regarding mining blocks said that Government of India’s Ministry of Mines issued the “ Notice Inviting Tender dated November 19, 2023 in respect of 20 blocks of Critical and Strategic minerals notified in the part D of the First Schedule of MMDR Act.”
This listed 24 such minerals , 1, Beryl and other beryline bearing minerals , 2. Cadmium bearing minerals. 3. Cobalt bearing minerals. 4. Gallium bearing minerals. 5. Glauconite. 6. Graphite. 7. Indium bearing minerals. 8. Lithium bearing minerals. 9. Molybdenum bearing minerals. 10. Nickel bearing minerals. 11. Niobium bearing minerals. 12. Phosphate (without uranium). 13. Platinum group of elements bearing minerals. 14. Potash. 15. Minerals of the “rare earths” group not containing Uranium and Thorium. 16. Rhenium bearing minerals. 17. Selenium bearing minerals. 18. Tantalum bearing minerals. 19. Tellurium bearing minerals. 20. Tin bearing minerals. 21. Titanium bearing minerals and ores (ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene). 22. Tungsten bearing minerals. 23. Vanadium bearing minerals. 24. Zirconium bearing minerals and ores including zircon.”
Odisha is having reserves of several of such critical and strategic minerals . Some of the bids were rejected and few others did not get adequate response. The new auction dates have been announced , and these make it mandatory for the bidders to apply online by May 16 . Yet again the fate will be decided by the nodal officer appointed by the government of India .
There is a need to have a synergy between the state and the Central government to push forward the mining sector of Odisha to tap its full potential in time before it’s too late.
Arun Joshi is author of “Eyewitness Kashmir; Teetering on Nuclear War and senior journalist based in Jammu and Kashmir, writes on South Asian affairs)
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
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