(a) whether there is a huge reserve of magnesite in the country including Bihar;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) whether any steps have been taken by the Government to develop/exploit these reserves; and
(d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise?
THE MINISTER OF MINES, COAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
(SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)
(a) & (b): As per the records, the total resources of magnesite in the country have been estimated at 394 million tonnes comprising 82 million tonnes under Reserve category and 312 million tonnes under Remaining Resources category. Further, no reserves/resources of magnesite are reported in the state of Bihar. State wise details of reserves/resources of magnesite as on 01.04.2015 are as follows:
(in million tonnes)
State Reserves Remaining Resources Total Resources
Andhra Pradesh 0 0.080 0.080
Himachal Pradesh 0 0.298 0.298
Jammu & Kashmir 0 4.145 4.145
Karnataka 1.389 4.592 5.981
Kerala 0 0.040 0.040
Rajasthan 0 53.804 53.804
Tamil Nadu 73.577 24.649 98.226
Uttarakhand 7.310 224.103 231.413
Total 82.276 311.711 393.988
(c) & (d): Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, for major minerals, the mineral concession can be allotted through auctioning of two instruments viz. Prospecting Licence–cum–Mining Lease or Mining Lease. The power to grant these mineral concessions vests in the State Governments. Further, for minor minerals, the State Governments are the custodians and mining leases/ licences are granted by them. The extraction of minerals depends on the grant of the mineral concessions by the State Government. The utilization of mineral resources is done by exploiting and subsequent use by the industry.
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