New Delhi | Jun 22, 2017: To encourage research in the mining sector, the government today asked academic institutions and universities to take up projects that have direct bearing on development of new technology for exploration to exploit new resources.

"Projects are invited from academic institutions, universities, national institutes and R&D institutions recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for up to 3 years duration in the...thrust areas which have direct bearing on the mineral sector, applied and sustainable aspect of mining and industrial applications," the mines ministry said in a statement.

The proposal should be relevant to the overall mandate of mining, exploration, minerals, metals value addition, waste and environmental impact of mining and metallurgical processing, it added. The broad thrust areas for supporting research in mining includes prospecting/exploration for strategic rare and rare earth minerals, development of new technology for mineral exploration and mining on land and deep sea to locate and exploit new mineral resources and research in mining methods. Improving efficiency in process, operations, recovery of by-products and reduction in specification and consumption norms, research in metallurgy and mineral beneficiation techniques to utilise lower grade and finer size ores, extraction of value added products from mine waste, plant tailings and development of new alloys and metal related products, etc are other thrust areas to render support to research.

(Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/)