Ministry of Mines organised a workshop on Granite and Marble mining in Bengaluru. Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India Shri. V L Kantha Rao addressed the inaugural session of workshop. Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, Government of Karnataka, Dr. Shalini Rajneesh delivered the keynote address on the occasion. The Workshop was attended by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India, Dr. Veena Kumari D, Secretary, Mines and Geology, Government of Karnataka, Shri Richard Vincent, senior functionaries of Geological Survey of India Bengaluru; State Directorates of Mining & Geology of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu; PSUs, representatives from private mining industry, Mining associations and other stakeholders.

Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Shri V.L. Kantha Rao, in his address emphasized the various initiatives and reforms undertaken by the Government of India in the mining sector.  He urged the State Governments to take up such reforms in minor mineral sector also. Further, he pointed out that the central government has made comprehensive data and information on exploration available through the NGDR (National Geo-Data Repository) Portal, facilitating access to data for all stakeholders. This initiative, driven by data collected from central agencies, aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the mining sector.

Shri V.L. Kantha Rao, called for collaborative initiatives between central and state governments to reform the minor mineral sector comprehensively. He pointed out that the workshop serves as a brainstorming session where industry representatives and state governments look for solutions.

Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, Government of Karnataka, Dr. Shalini Rajneesh, in her keynote address emphasized the importance of collaboration between the government and industry to find solutions to administrative, technological, and other issues in the granite and marble mining sector. She underscored that any economic activity, including mining, must be sustainable. Dr. Shalini welcomed startup ideas and innovative contributions to address the sector's challenges constructively and also stressed upon the use of IT platforms to manage critical areas of the mining sector, ensuring transparency and reducing grievances.

After the inaugural session, various stakeholders made presentations on the issues of granite mining and marble mining. Thereafter, State Governments of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana gave presentations responding to the issues flagged by the industry association and also highlighted the Best Practices on Regulation of Granite and Marble Minerals.

A presentation was also made by Joint Director, National council for Cement and Building material DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce Dr. B Panduranga Rao, regarding the role of granite and marble industry in India- Cement and construction sector. Chief controller of mines, IBM, Shri. Piyush Narayan Sharma, made presentation on sustainable development framework in mining sector and star rating of mines.

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