Minerals: India
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INDIA 2012
A REFERENCE ANNUAL
Compiled by
RESEARCH, REFERENCE AND TRAINING DIVISION
PUBLICATIONS DIVISION
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Minerals
Ministry of Mines is responsible for survey and exploration of all minerals, other than natural gases, petroleum and atomic minerals, for mining and metallurgy of non-ferrous metals like aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, gold, nickel etc. and for administration of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in respect of all mines and minerals other than coal, natural gas and petroleum.
Geological Context
Geologically India is divided into-
The Indian Peninsula (shield) comprising 1.9 million sq km
The Indo-Gangetic Alluvial plains comprising 0.5 million sq km
The Extra - Peninsula (Himalaya) comprising 0.7 million sq km.
The Indian Peninsula covers the area south of the Vindhyas, and the region is a plateau formed by the survival of the harder rocks, resistant to weathering. The region is made of stable and strong rock formations. The stratigraphic units are the Archaean Rocks (Dharwar and post-Dharwar). the Purana Group of Proterozoic rocks (Cuddapah and Vindhyan systems) the Gondwana sequence of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks and the Deccan Traps of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic era. Archaean rocks occupy two-thirds of the Peninsula spread over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand and in a narrow tract extending from northern Gujarat into Rajasthan, forming some part of the Aravalli mountain range, as well in the Shillong plateau. Archaean rocks are the store house of mineral wealth, and except for coal, oil, gas and a few other mineral deposits, all our mineral wealth are in the Archaean areas.
The Cuddapah System of Purana rocks mainly comprise quartzite, limestone and slate and the Vindhyan system mainly comprises sandstones and shales with limestones with diamondiferous conglomerates. The Gondwana sequence of massive sedimentary rocks in linear tracts along Narmada-Son-Damodar alignment, along Mahanadi and along Godavari (and other outcrops) holds much of the coal reserves of the country. The offshore regions of some of these rivers are storehouses of gas and oil.
The Deccan Trap consisting of basaltic flows through long and narrow fissures and at places eruptive volcanoes resulted in formation of lava spread over some 15 lakh sq km, mainly in Gujarat (Kachchh), Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The lava sheets have a thickness of nearly 2000 m in the western Ghats. The Trap rocks are good for building stones. road metal etc., though weathering of high grade basalts result in lateritic deposits at many places.
The Indo Gangetic plains stretching from Sindh (Pakistan) and Punjab in the west to Bengal and Assam in the east consist of alluvium of Recent (Quaternary) origin with a thickness of 1500 - 6000 m lying over older formations. Because they were created during uplift of the Himalaya and that the Himalaya is actively being eroded by many energetic rivers, this area is of geological interest from point of view of seismicity, its hydrology and natural hazards.
The Extra Peninsula region comprises the mountain chains of Baluchistan (Pakistan) to the Himalaya to Arakan Yoma (Myanmar). Being of recent origin and tectonically active the area is unstable, and barring a few areas of older rocks, usually consists of marine sedimentary rocks of the Cambrian to Cretaceous times in the inner areas. The sediments of the outer Himalaya (Shivaliks) being freshwater sediments are of geological importance because the Tertiary rocks of freshwater sedimentary origin may contain reserves of petroleum, seeing that similar rocks of Assam, Gujarat, Cambay and off shore areas have yielded results.
Mineral Legislation
India is richly endowed with many minerals. Under the Constitution, mineral rights and the administration of mining laws are vested in the respective State Governments. The Central Government, however, regulates the development of mines and minerals under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and the rules framed thereunder. The MMDR Act 1957 came into force on 1.6.1958 and a number of amendments have been carried out in 1972, 1986, 1994 and 1999.
This statute empowers the Central Government to formulate rules for (a) the grant, renewal, etc. of reconnaissance permits, prospecting licences and mining leases for major minerals viz. Mineral Concession Rules, 1960, framed under Section 13 of MMDR Act 1957; and the conservation and development of minerals, (viz. Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 1988 framed under the Section 18 of the MMDR Act. 1957 for major minerals. These Rules are not applicable to atomic, fuel and minor minerals. Powers are vested under Section 15 of the above said Act, to the respective State Governments to frame Minor Mineral Concession Rules. And accordingly all State Governments and some Union Territories have framed their own Rules.
The Granite Conservation and Development Rules, 1999 and Marble Development and Conservation Rules 2002 are also framed under Section of 18 of the MMDR Act, 1957 for conservation and systematic development of granite and marble resources in the country, respectively.
Important Features of National Mineral Policy, 2008
As a sequel to the recommendations of the Hoda Committee which was constituted by the Planning Commission to review the National Mineral Policy, a New National Mineral Policy, 2008 was approved by the Government. The policy advocates:-
(i) use of State-of-the-art technology for exploration;
(ii) zero waste mining;
(iii) development of capital market structures to attract risk investment into survey and prospecting;
(iv) Transparency in allocation of concessions;
(v) auction of ore bodies prospected at public expense
(vi) Independent Mining Administrative Tribunal;
(vii) a framework of sustainable development to take care of biodiversity issues etc.
A draft Bill to replace the existing MMDR Act is under consideration of the Government and consultation process with Stakeholders including State Governments and Industry is under way.
Mineral Security Partnership
Membership, 2023
Sanjay Dutta, June 24, 2023: The Times of India
India and the US are expanding bilateral strategic ties to critical minerals as well as nuclear arena by discussing joint development of next-generation small modular reactor (SMR) technology as a means to speed up energy transition.
“The US enthusiastically welcomes India as the newest partner in the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), to accelerate the development of diverse and sustainable critical energy minerals supply chains globally,” a joint statement issued after PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington said.
MSP was created in 2021 as a bulwark against China’s use of its near-total control over the supply chain for coercive diplomacy. Critical minerals like lithium are crucial for energy transition as these are used in batteries for electric vehicles and items ranging from mobiles to laptops. Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Sweden, the UK, the US and the European Union are its members.
The two countries also decided to develop a “first-of-its kind, multibillion-dollar investment platform aimed at providing catalytic capital and de-risking support for renewable energy projects”. This reflects India’s persistent stand that the developed world should put money where mouth is before asking the global south for more stringent climate action. The statement said India’s entry into MSP will “accelerate the development of diverse and sustainable critical energy minerals supply chains globally while agreeing to the principles of the MSP including environmental, social, and governance standards. ”
It said both sides will “work together as trusted partners” to ensure supplies of critical minerals needed to achieve “our climate, economic and strategic technology cooperation goals”.
The statement held out promise of access to latest US technology and assistance for exploration and extraction of critical minerals. This is timely as lithium deposits have been discovered in J&K and the government is poised to open up mining of critical minerals for the private sector.
Noting that talks were on with Westinghouse for conventional nuclear power plants, the statement said the jointly developed SMR technology will be for domestic as well as third-country exports. This is significant as the Modi government is looking at SMR technology to speed up non-fossil power generation capacity.
The statement mentioned collaboration on green hydrogen, offshore and onshore wind energy and innovative payment security mechanism for electric buses, removing an impediment in their deployment in Delhi and other cities.
See also
Minerals: India
