The Orissa government is all set to release the state?s first-ever mining policy.
?The draft of the Orissa Mining Policy 2010 is ready and it will be announced very soon,? state principal secretary, steel and mines, Ashok Dalwai, told Fe.
“The Orissa Mining Policy 2010 is aimed at development and regulation of the mining sector in the state,” Dailwai said, adding, ?The Mining Policy will focus more on non-ferrous sector rather than on ferrous minerals.” The policy comes at a time when the state is grappling with issues of illegal mining and land acquisition.
The policy will emphasise on development of low volume, high value non-ferrous minerals like gold, nickel, platinum, beach sand.
The state has a reserve of 174 million tonne of nickel ore and 82 million tonne of beach sand minerals (heavy minerals). Mineral investigations have also indicated gold and diamond reserves in the western Orissa districts of the state.
In ferrous sector, the focus will be on promotion of benefication, pelletisation, sintering, calibration of minerals so that low grade ore can be used gainfully. The policy will promote state-of-the-art technology and good management practices in mining of minerals in the state. It will stress on people and environment-friendly mining activities.
Dalwai said the policy will encourage resurvey of ferrous minerals in the state to gather latest data on the reserves.
The steel & mines principal secretary disclosed that the state government, in principle, has decided that 5% of the royalty will be used for incremental development of poeple living in the mining areas. A committee has been formed to formulate the policy for the implementation of this decision, he added.
Orissa, which has 17% of the total national mineral reserves, has 1,802 million tonne of bauxite, 180 million tonne of chromite, 5305 million tonne of iron ore and 65,353 million tonne of coal besides other minerals like cobalt, copper ore, dolomite, lead & zine ore, limestone, tin ore.