(a) the details of rare earth minerals available in the country;
(b) whether private companies have also been granted permission for mining of these minerals;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) has been facing difficulties regarding mining leases; and
(e) if so, the reasons therefor?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (Dr. JITENDRA SINGH) :
(a) The mineral monazite, occurring in the beach sand and inland placer deposits along the coastal tracts of India is the major resource of rare earths in the country. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), has estimated the presence of 11.93 million tonnes of monazite resources in the beach sand mineral placer deposits along the coastal tracts of India as on December 2014. Monazite in general, contains about 55 – 60% total Rare Earth Oxide. The state-wise resources of in-situ monazite established by AMD are as follows:
State Monazite(Million tonne)
Odisha 2.41 Andhra Pradesh 3.72 Tamil Nadu 2.46 Kerala 1.90 West Bengal 1.22 Jharkhand 0.22 Total 11.93