Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi Thursday virtually inaugurated production in two iron ore mines belonging to Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) at Guali and Jilang Langota. Both these iron blocks are in Keonjhar district.
On this occasion, Naveen informed about the potential of Odisha to emerge as a global hub for steel, aluminum and other metal industries. He hoped that with the quick operationalisation of the allotted mines by Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), the iron ore market will stabilise and the supply situation for the industry will improve.
Extending his thanks to Union Minister Joshi for allocating the two mines to the OMC and giving various approvals within a short time, Naveen also laid emphasis on the need for the State and the Center to work together to realise the huge potential of the state in the mining and metals industries.
He also thanked the OMC for taking necessary steps to make the two mines operational.
While pointing out what his government has initiated, he said that the Integrated Mines and Minerals Management System (I3MS System) has been launched to monitor the transport of iron ore for transparency. “The auction process of a large number of mines has also been successfully completed over the last few years,” he added.
The Chief Minister ascribed the tremendous growth of the mining and related metal industries sectors to the state government’s investor-friendly ecosystem.
“The state government is ready to work together with the Centre to realise this potential of the state. We have supported the initiatives towards the mineral sector reforms and hope this will earn dividend for the state and the country in the long run,” he added.
On this occasion, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi informed that these two mines will create vast employment opportunities for local youths as the mines will generate nearly Rs 5,000 crore of annual revenue for Odisha. It would go a long way in alleviating the shortcomings in the iron ore market.
Mentioning about the two mines being allocated in record time and made operational, he thanked the cooperation between the Centre and the state for it.