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The Steel and Mines Department of the State government on Monday commissioned state-of-the-art laboratories to step up the scientific analysis of rocks and minerals, said an official on Monday.
The State is endowed with a rich reserve of mineral deposits like Chromite, Bauxite, Graphite, Iron ore, Manganese, Coal, Gemstones, Limestone, China Clay and many more.
The State government has made functional XRD & XRF Laboratories in the Directorate of Geology, Bhubaneswar. The laboratories will step up the analytical aspect of rocks and minerals which in turn will accelerate the auction process, he said.
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The XRD (X-Ray diffraction) machine will precisely identify the mineral phase whereas XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) is for elemental analysis of rocks, ores instantly. Both the instruments cost around five cores rupees.
The mineral exploration programme is expected to provide a boost with the commissioning of these instruments. The grade determination will be more accurate and the analytical time frame will be much less which in turn will lead to enhanced overall royalty gain of the state. This Laboratory will not only cater to the needs of the Directorate but will be of immense help for research students and all mining agencies operating in the State.
The Minister, Steel & Mines, Prafulla Kumar Mallik on Monday inaugurated the laboratory while D.K Singh, Steel & Mines Principal Secretary, Debidutta Biswal, Director of Mines, Balwant Singh, Managing Director, Odisha Mining Corporation, M. R. Panda, Director of Geology, M.R. Mahapatra, Additional Director Geology, Prabal Kumar Chand, Joint Director Geology; Md. Q. Jamal Khan, Deputy Director Geology among others graced the occasion.
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