Indian mines and minerals are over 6000 years old. Mining and mineral industries in India includes both metallurgical and mineral mining industries in India and together they form the backbone of the industrial development of India as they supply the basic raw materials like coal, petrol, mining minerals, steel, copper, Aluminium metals and others to the India manufacturers.
India is gifted with significant mineral resources. India produces 89 minerals out of which 4 are fuel minerals, 11 metallic, 52 non-metallic and 22 minor minerals. In India, 80% of mining is in coal and the balance 20% is in various metals and other raw materials such as gold, copper, iron, lead, bauxite, zinc and uranium. Coal has been a major contributor in providing energy security during the past century. But it is not a renewable resource, one day it will exhaust. It is possible that this pattern may change and there could be emphasis on uranium and thorium based power plants during the later part of the 21st century in addition to the emphasis on renewable energy sources.
The total value of mineral production was Rs. 568070 million in 2000-2001, of which the value of minerals other than petroleum and natural gas was Rs. 306751 million. Iron-ore, copper-ore, chromite and zinc concentrates, gold, manganese ore, and bauxite, lead concentrates account for the metallic production. Amongst the non-metallic minerals, more than 90 percent of the aggregate value is shared by limestone, magnesite, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite & phosphorite, steatite and fluorite. India is the world`s largest producer of mica blocks and mica splittings. With the recent spurt in world demand for chromite, India has stepped up its production to reach the third rank among the chromite producers of the world. Besides, India ranks 3rd in production of coal & lignite and barytes, 4th in iron ore, 6th in bauxite and manganese ore, 10 in aluminium and 11th in crude steel in the World.
It was only after independence that the Indian mines and minerals sector experienced a phenomenal increase in growth rate. In total there are 84 minerals being produced in India including 4 fuels, 11 metallic, 49 non-metallic industrial and 20 minor minerals. The products of Indian mines and minerals sector consist of coal, lignite, limestone, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc and many more contributed by over 3100 mines located all over the country. Productions from open cast mines account for more than 80 percent of the total mineral production in the country. So the quantity of minerals being taken out annually from the Indian mines can be determined by totaling up the quantity of overburden with the annual mineral production.
India is no longer a source for rough diamonds. Although most all of India`s diamond mines were depleted centuries ago, there is one active diamond mine at Panna in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The National Mineral Development Corporation owns the mine. De Beers India is currently prospecting in the Madhya Pradesh region as well as in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The De Beers mining operation will be a joint venture with Hindustan Diamond, be based in Mumbai.
The term `Golconda` is still used today as an indicator of very high quality diamonds. To justify the `Golconda` name, diamonds must have a level of transparency and quality found only in rare, chemically pure type-IIa natural diamonds. The term `Golconda` is also used as a generic term to describe higher quality diamonds with an antique cut. Indian mines and minerals industry provides employment to over 1.1 million people with 16 percent share in India`s export. India is the largest producer of mica in the entire world. It ranks third in the production of coal and lignite and barites. India is also one of the world`s top producers of iron ore, bauxite, manganese ore and aluminum.
