Lok Sabha Question No. 1827 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-13
Subject: National Mineral Exploration Trust
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar, Bhola Singh, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Raja Amareshwara Naik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1827

ANSWERED ON 13.12.2023

## NATIONAL MINERAL EXPLORATION TRUST (NMET)

1827. DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR: SHRI BHOLA SINGH: SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR: SHRI RAJAAMARESHWARA NAIK:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  set  up  the  National  Mineral  Exploration  Trust  for carrying out regional and detailed exploration for augmentation of mineral resource of the country;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  locations  where  the  said  trust  has  found  out minerals while exploration activities during the last  nine  years  with the names and quantity of minerals explored;

- (c) whether there is any proposal pending to explore minerals in the country; and

(d) if so, the details and the reasons thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINES, COAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

(a): The  National  Mineral  Exploration  Trust  (NMET)  was  established  by  the Government of India vide Gazette Notification G.S.R.633(E) of 14th August 2015, in pursuance of subsection (1) of Section 9C of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, with the objective to boost the regional and detailed mineral exploration activities.

(b): Since  inception  NMET  has  funded  270  mineral  exploration  projects,  out  of which 162 projects have been completed and remaining 108 projects are ongoing. The details of completed projects and ongoing projects are placed at Annexure - I and Annexure - II,  respectively.  Out  of  162  completed  projects  11  projects  have  been auctioned by the respective state governments and 06 projects are in pipeline. The details are as follow:

| Successful Auctioned NMET Funded Mineral Blocks   | Successful Auctioned NMET Funded Mineral Blocks   | Successful Auctioned NMET Funded Mineral Blocks   | Successful Auctioned NMET Funded Mineral Blocks   | Successful Auctioned NMET Funded Mineral Blocks   | Successful Auctioned NMET Funded Mineral Blocks   |
|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No                                            | State                                             | Commodity                                         | No of Block                                       | Total Quantity in MT                              | Revenue collection in Cr                          |
| 1                                                 | Madhya Pradesh                                    | Limetone                                          | 1                                                 | 209.77                                            | 7310                                              |
| 2                                                 | Uttar Pradesh                                     | Phosphorite                                       | 1                                                 | 16.52                                             | 3193                                              |
| 3                                                 | Rajasthan                                         | Limetone                                          | 2                                                 | 321.55                                            | 29704                                             |
| 4                                                 | Chhattisgarh                                      | Limetone                                          | 1                                                 | 77.84                                             | 4180                                              |
| 5                                                 | Karnataka                                         | Limetone                                          | 1                                                 | 812.67                                            | 2666                                              |
| 6                                                 | Maharashtra                                       | Manganese                                         | 2                                                 | 0.283                                             | 93                                                |
| 7                                                 | Odisha                                            | Iron                                              | 3                                                 | 234.15                                            | 122509                                            |
| Total                                             | Total                                             | Total                                             | 11                                                | 1672.783                                          | 169655                                            |

| Sl. No   | State      | Commodity   |   No of Block |   Total Quantity in MT |
|----------|------------|-------------|---------------|------------------------|
| 1        | Karnataka  | Limestone   |             1 |                    459 |
| 2        | Tamil Nadu | Limestone   |             5 |                    432 |
| Total    | Total      | Total       |             6 |                    891 |

(c) & (d): NMET receives proposals from Exploration Agencies and the proposals are sanctioned by the Executive Committee, which meets regularly. At present, no proposal is pending.

*****

Annexure- I

| Sl.no.   | State          |   No. of Projects Completed |   No. of Project Successful | Remarks/Commodities                                                                               |
|----------|----------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh |                          12 |                           8 | Basemetal, Coal, Diamond,Limestone,                                                               |
| 2        | Assam          |                           1 |                           0 | Sillimanite                                                                                       |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh   |                          18 |                          11 | Nickle, Copper, Gold, Coal, Limestone, Bauxite & Associated minerals                              |
| 4        | Jharkhand      |                          10 |                           2 | Bauxite, Copper, Limestone, Iron Ore, Gold & Basemetal, Andalusite, Tin, Lead, Zinc               |
| 5        | Karnataka      |                          14 |                           4 | Basemetal, Kyanite, Limestone, Iron Ore, Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Nickle, Graphite               |
| 6        | Kerala         |                           2 |                           0 | Gold, Bauxite                                                                                     |
| 7        | Madhya Pradesh |                          14 |                           7 | Limestone, Basemetals, Gold, Manganese Phosphorite, Graphite, Coal                                |
| 8        | Maharashtra    |                           7 |                           1 | Manganese,Iron Ore Nickel Chromium & Gold, PGE Mineralization, Barium Gold Lead Copper & Tungsten |
| 9        | Nagaland       |                           2 |                           2 | Limestone, Magnetite/Ni-Co-Cr                                                                     |
| 10       | Odisha         |                          30 |                          21 | Iron, Copper, Manganese, Limestone, Bauxite, Graphite                                             |
| 11       | Rajasthan      |                          23 |                           8 | Manganese, Iron , Copper, Basemetal & Silver, Potash, Magnesite, Molybdenum, Emerald, Gold & REE  |
| 12       | Tamilnadu      |                          11 |                          10 | Lignite, Dunite, Nickle, Chromium & PGE, Limestone, Magnesite                                     |
| 13       | Telangana      |                          14 |                          11 | Limestone, Molybdenum, Manganese, Copper                                                          |
| 14       | Uttar Pradesh  |                           3 |                           2 | Phosphorite, Copper, Lead-Zinc                                                                    |
| 15       | West Bengal    |                           1 |                           1 | Coal                                                                                              |
|          | Total          |                         162 |                          88 |                                                                                                   |

## Details of ongoing projects

Annexure- II

| Sl.no.   | State/UT        |   No. of ongoing Projects |
|----------|-----------------|---------------------------|
| 1        | Gujarat         |                        06 |
| 2        | Assam           |                        03 |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh    |                        09 |
| 4        | Jharkhand       |                        12 |
| 5        | Karnataka       |                        12 |
| 6        | Jammu & Kashmir |                        01 |
| 7        | Madhya Pradesh  |                        22 |
| 8        | Maharashtra     |                        12 |
| 9        | Ladakh          |                        01 |
| 10       | Odisha          |                        21 |
| 11       | Rajasthan       |                        03 |
| 12       | Tamilnadu       |                        01 |
| 13       | Telangana       |                        01 |
| 14       | Manipur         |                        01 |
| 15       | Sikkim          |                        01 |
| 16       | Uttarakhand     |                        02 |
|          | Total           |                       108 |

*****