(a) whether the Government are aware that the Kalahandi and Koraput districts of Orissa have the largest bauxite deposits in Asia and the second largest deposit in the world; and
(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government to exploit this natural resource and industrialise the most backward region of India known as the KBK ?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINES AND MINERALS
( SMT. RITA VERMA )
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b) The manufacture of Aluminium metal is exempted from the provision of compulsory licensing. The parties interested in setting up new Aluminium Plants have simply to file an Industrial Entrepreneurs` Memorandum (IEM). There is no proposal to set up any greenfield Alumina/Aluminium plant in the public sector in Kalahandi and Koraput Districts of Orissa. However, one public sector Company, National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) is implementing expansion projects for increasing its capacity of Bauxite Mines from 24 lakh tonnes to 48 lakh tonnes and that of Alumina Refinery from 8 lakh tonnes to 15.75 lakh tonnes.
In private sector the following companies have filed IEM to set up Alumina Refinery/Bauxite Mines in Kalahandi and Koraput Districts of Orissa;
i) M/s. Sterlite Industries (I) Ltd. has filed IEM for manufacture of Alumina of 1 Million Tonnes capacity per year in District Kalahandi, Orissa.
ii) M/s. Aditya Aluminium has filed IEM for setting up of Alumina Refinery in district Rayagada, Orissa for which they will set up Bauxite Mines of 3 Million Tonne Per Year capacity in District Koraput, Orissa.
iii) Government have allowed M/s. L&T to set up 100% Export Oriented Unit (EOU) Alumina Plant of 1 MTPY capacity in Rayagada, Orissa for which they will set up bauxite mines in the Rayagada and Kalahandi Districts of Orissa.
iv) The Government have also allowed M/s. Utkal Alumina International Limited to set up 100% Export Oriented Unit (EOU) Alumina Plant of 1 MTPY capacity in District Rayagada which will source Bauxite from the Baphlimali mines in Rayagada.