Union Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has urged the states to take most of the measures initiated by the Center to increase the production of various minerals in the country.
Inaugurating the two-day National Mines Ministers’ Conference here on Friday, the Minister said that a number of measures have been taken ranging from reforms aimed at improving the level of ease of doing business to providing incentives to the states initiating the auction process. .
Underlining the importance of working in the “true spirit of cooperative federalism”, as was evident during the recent massive immunization drive against COVID-19, he said the Center is committed to harnessing the potential of the mining sector. is keen and thus contributing more to the GDP. Presently the share of the mining and minerals sector is less than 1% excluding coal and petroleum. The target is to take this to 2.5% by 2030.
By promoting mining of minerals, the states will benefit from the incremental revenue that will accrue as well as create employment opportunities in this sector. “After agriculture, it is the sector that can provide a good number of employment opportunities,” Mr Joshi said, adding the conference aims to develop strategies and serve as a platform to enhance the effectiveness of new policy reforms. To do.
The event was another step towards making the mineral sector ‘self-reliant’ and promoting sustainable mining. An official release on the program said Mines Ministers from 11 states, senior officials from 19 states and one union territory as well as officials from the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Steel, heads of 14 CPSEs and 10 notified private exploration agencies were participating in the programme.
coal reserves
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the conference, Shri Joshi, who is also the Union Minister of Coal and Parliamentary Affairs, said that the domestic coal production has increased from 572 million tonnes in 2014 to 800 metric tonnes this year. It was expected to be closer to 900 metric tons next year.
When asked about the availability of coal, which had come under pressure earlier this year, the minister said a quick economic revival, post COVID, has led to an increase in power demand in the country due to the provision of new power connections. Nevertheless, the stock position in August was the best ever and around 62 MT of coal was available. He said that September and October would be important months.