BANGALORE: Karnataka has many mineral reserves, and the state has taken the necessary steps to explore them, but, as state Mines and Geology Minister Halappa Achar said on Friday, greater results require the participation of the Union Mines Ministry and the National Mineral Exploration Trust.
Speaking at the National Mining Ministers Conference, which got underway in Hyderabad on Friday, he said that no government had ever taken the same transparent and environmentally beneficial steps in the mining industry since independence as it has.
He said, the state government has been able to raise more money thanks to these reforms, which have also helped the states' mining industries flourish thanks to scientific and environmentally friendly initiatives. Achar claimed that mining potential are numerous in his state. It comes in second for iron ore mining in the nation and first for mining limestone. "In 2021–2022, the state government received Rs 6,308 crore in revenue. In the current year, up until July, revenue was Rs. 1,425 crore, and this time, we anticipate receiving Rs. 6,500 crore. Our state has undergone significant growth since 2015 as a result of the mining industry's improvement.
The Minister said that although Karnataka has already hired 113 geologists, cooperation from the Union Mines Ministry and the Central Mineral Exploration Trust is necessary to make further progress. He asked the Centre to take the necessary steps in this regard because there are more mineral deposits in the state and more emphasis needs to be placed on their exploration.
Karnataka was praised at the conference for the new technology used in preventing illegal mining as well as for adopting reforms in the central mining policy, which led to it being second in the nation in terms of auctioning mining blocks. He noted that Karnataka secured the third position in the National Mineral Development Awards last year, saying: "We are aiming to achieve the top position by adopting new aspects in the Mines Department."
Senior officials from the Mines Ministry, including Union Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi and Mines Ministers from other states, attended the session.
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