Gold, copper, lithium reserves to boost revenue & employment in Rajasthan: Official

Jaipur, July 27 (IANS) Gold, copper, and lithium reserves found in Rajasthan are set to boost the revenue and employment opportunities in the state, Mines Secretary Anandhi said on Saturday.

"There is a clear mandate from the government that we have to boost revenues and generate employment from this segment, Now there are clear directions to double and triple the revenue in the next five years to use it in the development of the state. Our team is busy achieving these goals and is making this segment more active," she said speaking exclusively to IANS.

"The department is witnessing hectic activity and our team has finished the auctions in seven months which were equal in number to the auctions conducted in the last seven years in the state," she told IANS.

Anandhi said that not many people are aware that mining is the largest non tax revenue earning sector for the state government.

"Mining is the largest non tax revenue earning sector for the state govt. While it directly employs 3 to 5 lakh people, it employs 20-25 lakh people indirectly. So this number will definitely be going up in the next few years as there is a rising scope and significance in the sector.

"The minerals which are strategic and critical in importance and which were imported from other nations are now slowly being found in Rajasthan", she added.

Accepting that the mines segment in Rajasthan is bustling with activity, she said that exploration has also started for coal bed methane and underground coal gasification which are significant sources of energy in countries like America, Canada and Australia.

She informed that Rajasthan is the richest state which has over 87 minerals and there is a major demand for certain minerals. The state government is taking inspiration from other states in using technology.

"There is a major demand for limestone, iron ore as well as gold. Now, as we are catering to the demand, there is a good response in auctions," she added.

Anandhi explained that "We are taking inspiration from other states like MP, UP, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and others. These are states which are experimenting with technology. For example Gujarat experimented with geofencing with good results, she stated.

Speaking about lithium, she said that there are some minerals like lithium which are strategic minerals. A good reserve has been found in Rajasthan. However, as strategic minerals are looked after by the Central government I am unable to speak much on it, she added.

After Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, Rajasthan has become the fourth state to yield gold.

An initial assessment of 113.52 million tons of gold ore has been done in an area of 940.26 hectares in Banswara.

The amount of gold is estimated to be 222.39 tons.

Gold mining in Banswara district is likely to generate opportunities for direct and indirect employment along with new investments in several industries including electronics, petroleum, petrochemicals, batteries, air bags etc, said Anandhi.

Besides Banswara, gold deposits have been located in Salumbar in Rajasthan, Anandhi added.

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