New mineral policy to bring in private investment | Tomar

The Centre will soon introduce a national mineral exploration policy which will promote private investment in the sector other than boosting exploration, Union Minister of Mines Narendra Singh Tomar said. Speaking at the inaugural session of a national meeting of mines ministers, Tomar said the Cabinet note is ready and the government will introduce the policy soon. He said private investment will be promoted in mineral exploration which will be done in a time-bound manner. The minister also asked the state governments to focus on exploration. He called for a balance between mining and environment, saying´environment should be protected and exploration should also be enhanced.´ ´Mining creates huge job opportunities and if the sector is promoted, there would be ample job opportunities and GDP will grow,´he added. The minister asked the states to focus on creating District Mineral Foundation to improve economic status and empower communities living near mining areas.