With massive gold deposit find in Odisha, exploring how our mineral exploration sector fares today?

New Delhi: A recent major find of gold in the Indian state of Odisha is all the buzz in the world of Indian mineral exploration. If the deposits prove as viable as early indications report, the state would look at a burgeoning gold buzz, with the industry in the state expanding soon. Odisha, which already is rich in mineral deposits, would be ideal to make full use of the deposits. The find is also significant for the Geological Survey of India, the premier geological institution of India which is tasked, among other things, with mineral exploration in the country.

After confirmed discoveries across multiple districts of Odisha, latest areas of prospective gold deposists include Deogarh (Adasa-Rampalli), Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Nabarangpur, Angul, and Koraput, with further work underway in Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Malkangiri, and Boudh. 

The Geological Survey of India (GIS) has advanced the reconnaissance from G3 to G2 in areas such as Adasa-Rampalli and Gopur-Gajipur. This would result in a stepping up that would result in detailed sampling and drilling to validate resources.

The findings were identified during recent mineral exploration projects and have now ignited renewed interest in mining and auction strategy in the state. Alongside the Odisha Mining Corporation, the state government is also reportedly fast-tracking plans to commercialize the finds. An auction of the first gold mining block in Deogarh is on the table, billed as a watershed moment for Odisha’s mineral sector, several reports add.

No official resource figures have been released yet, but according to early indicatory markers, gold reserves in the range of 10 to 20 metric tons are being estimated. This might not be the largest such deposits in the country, but are a valuable addition to the country’s valuable mineral reserve of India.

Odisha already accounts for 96 per cent of India’s chromite, 52 per cent of bauxite, and 33 per cent of iron ore reserves. Thus the discovery of gold deposits in Odhisa now is ideal, a state where infrastructure, logistics and knowledge related to mining and mineral exploration already exists.

The discovery is also important for mineral exploration in India and also for the Geological Survey of India, the principal geological body of the country, which among other things is also responsible for a large part of mineral exploration in the country.

India’s mineral exploration story has been fluctuating. At times, there are big finds, but they are often followed by long periods of quiescence. The big copper finds in Madhya Pradesh’s Malanjkhand in 1969 were an early testament to India’s mineral exploration prowess. Things have since been up and down.

In West Bengal’s Purulia district, the Kalapathar-Raghudih block was found to hold over half a million tonnes of rare earth resources. A recent discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir was another high point in the country’s recent mineral exploration story. While laudable, more work needs to be done to make the industry better and compete at the global stage where it is currently lacking.

Be it insufficient investments or complex regulatory frameworks, India’s mineral exploration story has not been the brightest. From delays in permit acquisitions to opposition from local communities for mining permissions, from prospecting to final excavation, India has often been forced to rely on imports to fulfil its mineral needs from imports.

Compared to our neighbour China, our mineral exploration is comparatively not as excellent. More concentrated efforts thus need to be given to the industry as we look to compete on the global mineral exploration market.