The eastern state of Odisha already accounts for about 98% of the country’s chromite deposits, and now, reserves of a more precious metal have been uncovered in the state.
On Monday, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallik announced that gold deposits had been found in three districts of the state.
The presence of gold mines in Odisha has come to light thanks to surveys conducted by the state Directorate of Mines and Geology and the Geological Survey of India. While initial surveys were conducted in the 70s and 80s, the findings had not been made public. However, the GSI carried out another survey over the last two years, Mallik revealed.
The gold reserves have been found in four different areas of Keonjhar and four in Mayurbhanj, and one location in Deogarh. These areas include Dimirimunda, Kushakala, Gotipur, Gopur, Joshipur, Suriaguda, Ruansila, Dhushura hill and Adas.
According to GSI experts, an estimated 1,685 kg of gold ore, along with copper, has been detected in the Adas area. And some preliminary estimates show that 2.5 gm to 10 gm of gold per one-tonne ore in a quartz vein 60 metres long and one metre wide in the Gopur area.
The find is particularly timely since the Indian government has been on the lookout to increase its gold production amid rising demands and prices.
India has three functional gold mines — the Hutti and Uti mines in Karnataka and the Hirabuddini mines in Jharkhand. Through these mines, our country manages to produce around 1.6 tonnes of gold compared to the 774 tonnes a year of gold it consumes.
But a World Gold Council report from last year stated that India could ramp up its gold production to as much as 20 tonnes a year over the long term through improvements in mining infrastructure and regulatory reforms.
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