63rd Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) Meeting held in Bhopal

The 63^rd Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting was held today in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Shri V.L. Kantha Rao,  Secretary, Ministry of Mines. Shri Sanjay Lohiya, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines,Shri Janardan Prasad, Director General, GSI,senior functionaries of different Ministries, State Directorates of Mining & Geology, PSUs, representatives from private mining industry, Mining associations and other stakeholders attended thecrucial  meeting.

The proposed Annual Programme for ensuing Field Season year 2024-25 was placed before the Board for discussion. During the ensuing year 2024-25 GSI has formulated about 1055 scientific programs for the year 2024-25, which includes 392 Mineral Development projects (G2;G3;G4; and Offshore Explorations) that has the potential to generate auctionable mineral blocks in near future. 133 projects with mineral bias or Mineral Discovery Projects (RMT; Research Project; C-MAP;GT; MPA; Multispectral/Hyperspectral projects) having potential for generating promising areas for future exploration in G4 stage. Within the exploration activity, the major thrust has been given on the exploration of strategic & critical and fertilizer minerals. A total of 188 projects on these strategically important mineral commodities like REE, RM, Graphite, Lithium, Vanadium and PGE etc. have been approved for the year 2024-25,which is almost a jump of 50% from previous year’s target.

Also 111 projects under Natural Hazard Studies/Public Good Geoscience have been taken having societal benefits.Among these, 25 programmes are being taken up on State request/Disaster Management Authorities which includes programme mostly covering the Natural Hazards and 43 programmes are in collaboration with universities / agencies / under sponsorship of different authorities like IITs, NGRI, DRDO, NRSC-ISRO, University of Hyderabad, ASI, CGWB Ministry of Jal Shakti, SJVNL, NWDA, Indian Railways, BRO and State Irrigation Departments etc.

Besides, approval of the FSP items of GSI, the Report on Geological & Geotechnical investigation of Joshimath Township, Chamoli District was also unveiled by Shri V.L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Mines for handing it over to Uttarakhand Govt.  The Mineral Map of the newly carved out UT of Ladakh was also released on this occasion along with other significant publication of GSI.

During his address, Shri V. L. Kantha Raohighlighted the importance of scientific rigor in mining sector. He urged GSI and other exploration agencies to increase the pace of exploration and emphasized on exploration of Critical Mineral.He also urged the State Governments to be more aggressive in implementation of exploration projects through NMET funding.He requested stakeholders to make use of geoscience data available in NGDR portal for smooth exploration process.

A two-hour session was earmarked for the recently launched National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) portal, to brief stakeholders about this cloud-based portal, that will host all pre-competitive baseline geological  and mineral exploration data making it available to all participants in the mineral and mining sectors. This repository is designed for utilization of cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) by Start-ups, private mining companies and other exploration agencies for identifying subtle patterns and relationships within vast datasets, terrain modelling etc. and has the capabilities to enhance the pace of mineral exploration significantly in near future.

In the presence of  other senior officials, Shri V.L. Kantha Rao, inaugurated an Exhibition on the theme, “Mining and Beyond”, in which GSI, PSUs, DMFs, major mining companies, private exploration agencies, startups, Madhya Pradesh Government showcased their achievements. PSUs like Manganese Ore India Ltd. (MOIL), Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), National Aluminum Company Ltd. (NALCO), Mineral Exploration Consultancy Ltd. (MECL) showcased their best practices and technical advancements in this exhibition. While companies like HCL , NALCO and HZL gave the visitors a feel of mining and mineral processing through their VR system ,Hindalco through VR showcased their project of sustainable mining. BALCO and Tata Steel also participated in the exhibition. The students of engineering colleges of Bhopal also visited the exhibition and got first hand exposure of the mining sector.

Glimpses of the 63^rdCGPB Meeting, Bhopal

About CGPB

The Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) is an important platform of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Mines wherein the Annual Field Season Program (FSP) of GSI is placed for discussion and to avoid duplication of work.  The members of CGPB and other stakeholders like State Governments, Central/ State Government Mineral Exploration Agencies, PSUs and Private Entrepreneurs place their requests for collaborative work with GSI. Based on the priorities set by the Government of India and the importance and urgency of proposals presented by the members and stakeholders, the Annual Programme of GSI for survey & mapping, exploration, Research and Development, multidisciplinary catering to societal projects and training & capacity building programmes during the forthcoming financial year is given a final shape after due discussion and deliberations held at the topmost level at CGPB meeting, chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India.

The Ministry of Mines, Government of India, vide notification dated 18^th August 2023, had revamped/ reconstituted the CGPB Committee into 12 theme-based groups. The main objective of this reconstitution is to enable the States and other Stakeholders to accrue benefit from wider participation and interaction with GSI to further their activities and avoid duplication. It was felt that it would provide a forum for better coordination between Central and State level stakeholders by encouraging the regular functioning of State Geological Programming Boards (SGPB), set up by the State Governments. It was decided that the 12 Committees for the various sub-sectors would comprise members and invitees from the concerned States and Agencies engaged in activities in the field relevant to that particular sector and present their recommendations to the CGPB.

About Geological Survey of India

   The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways. Over the years, GSI has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute. Its main functions relate to creating and updating of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment. These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismo-tectonic study and carrying out fundamental research.

GSI’s chief role includes providing objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and geoscientific information of all kinds, with a focus on policy making decisions, commercial and socio-economic needs. GSI also emphasizes on systematic documentation of all geological processes both surface and subsurface, of India and its offshore areas. The organization carries out this work through geological, geophysical, & geochemical surveys using the latest does so by using the latest and most cost-effective techniques and methodologies.

GSI’s core competence in survey and mapping is continuously enhanced through accretion, management, coordination and utilization of spatial databases (including those acquired through remote sensing). It functions as a ‘Repository’ for the purpose and uses the latest computer-based technologies for dissemination of geoscientific information and spatial data, through cooperation and collaboration with other stakeholders in the Geo-informatics sector.

GSI, headquartered in Kolkata, has six regional offices located in Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata and state unit offices in almost all states of the country. GSI is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines.