The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu presented the National Geoscience Awards-2022 at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre today (July 24, 2023). The National Geoscience Award is instituted by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India with the aim to honour individuals and teams for extraordinary achievements and outstanding contributions in various fields of geosciences.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the field of Geoscience is very wide. It also includes the study of natural disasters like landslides, earthquakes, floods and tsunamis. These subjects are called Public Good Geosciences because they are useful in the protection of a large number of people.

The President said that mining is the primary sector of our economy. Mineral development has a vital contribution in the economic development of the country. During the last few years, many progressive changes have been brought in the mining sector by the government. These changes are enhancing the capacity and productivity of the mining sector.

The President said only that path of science and development proves correct which goes towards the welfare of humanity. That's why the geoscientist community has to keep moving forward in the direction of human centric mining. She appreciated Indian geoscientists for strengthening India's economy by contributing in the efficient use of minerals.

The President said that nowadays special attention is being given to minerals like Rare Earth Elements, Platinum Group of Elements and Semiconducting Elements. Keeping in view the priority of environment protection, mining of some traditional minerals and their results are being analyzed from a new perspective. She appreciated the Ministry of Mines for acknowledging the contribution in the field of Sustainable Mineral Development in today's awards.  She was happy to note that for Sustainable Mineral Development, equal attention is being given to all the three dimensions - economic, social and environmental.

Please click here to see the President's Speech

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DS/BM