NIT Raipur and CMDC Sign MoU to Boost AI-Driven Innovations in the Mining and Mineral Sector

The MeitY IndiaAI Chhattisgarh Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI-CoE) and the NIT Raipur Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NITRRFIE), based at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Limited (CMDC). The agreement was officially signed at NIT Raipur by Dr. N. V. Ramana Rao, Director of NIT Raipur, and Shri Sanjay Kanakane, General Manager of CMDC.

This five-year MoU establishes a robust collaborative framework between the two institutions to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies in the mining and mineral sector. The primary objective is to bridge real-world industry challenges with the research capabilities of NIT Raipur, the innovation ecosystem of NITRRFIE, and the talent of students and startups. Under this partnership, CMDC will share relevant problem statements and practical use cases, enabling AI-CoE researchers and incubated startups to develop technical solutions, prototypes, and products. Furthermore, the collaboration will support pilot project operations and field validation of these solutions at the regional level.

Potential key areas of cooperation include AI-based mineral exploration and resource assessment; remote sensing, GIS, and computer vision-based monitoring of mining areas; development of data analytics and decision-support tools for mineral administration; and the creation of a blockchain-based tamper-proof Digital Chain of Custody system to ensure transparency and security in the movement of minerals from mines to their final destination. In addition, the partnership envisions mentorship, internships, training programs, hackathons, and joint public relations initiatives for students and researchers. This initiative will serve as a significant milestone in strengthening academia-industry collaboration, driving technological transformation in the state's mining sector, and fostering skilled human resources.

Dignitaries present from CMDC included Shri Sanjay Kanakane (General Manager), Shri U. K. Qureshi (General Manager), and Dr. Abhishek Dewangan (Assistant Geologist). The program was successfully coordinated by Dr. Anuj K. Shukla, Principal Investigator of AI-CoE, NIT Raipur, and Shri Pawan Kataria, Assistant Registrar and Officer-in-Charge of NITRRFIE, with valuable support from Smt. Medha Singh (CEO, NITRRFIE) and Shri Sunil Diwangan (Incubation Manager, NITRRFIE). This entire initiative was successfully executed under the visionary leadership and guidance of Dr. N. V. Ramana Rao, Director of NIT Raipur, and Dr. Sameer Bajpai, Board Director of NITRRFIE.
 

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