Setting up of mineral-based
industries depends upon availability of minerals, adequate infrastructure
support, assessment of market potential of the industrial product
and investor friendly policy and procedures. No industrial license
is necessary to set up any mineral based industry. Any entrepreneur
is free to set up any such industry in any State. No target
for the same has been prescribed for the 10th Plan
period.
India
produces 64 minerals (minerals other than minor minerals defined
under Section 3(e) of the Mines and Minerals (Development &
Regulation ) Act, 1957 including 4 fuel minerals, 10 metallic
minerals and 50 non-metallic minerals spread over various states
of India. Minerals are vital raw materials for many basic industries
and a major input in industrial development. The same minerals
can be used in more than one industry. Broad indications regarding
some of the existing minerals based industries are periodically
published by the Indian Bureau of Mines, a subordinate office
of the Ministry of Mines in their Publication "Indian Mineral
Yearbook".
This information
was given by the Minister for Mines, Shri Ramesh Bais in a written
reply in the Lok Sabha today.
