President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Geoscience Awards on Wednesday in New Delhi.

#PresidentKovind presents National Geoscience Awards in New Delhi; says local communities must benefit from the discovery, extraction and development of mineral resources. Calls for sustainable and meaningful investment in technological innovation in the mining sector pic.twitter.com/8D02GnBuiV

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 16, 2018

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Speaking on the occasion, President Kovind said that India is one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. Our GDP as well as our larger developmental process is set to accelerate over the coming decades.

India’s per capita consumption of many resources and commodities is still very low by global standards and there is room to grow. This will require high-quality research initiatives for sustainable, ecologically-friendly resource generation – and meaningful investment in technological innovation in the mining sector, said Kovind.

The mining process itself must incorporate the best available safety and health mechanisms for mining workers as well as for their families.

India must mine more – but India must also mine better. And in a sustainable manner #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 16, 2018

President Kovind said, reforms in the mining sector have been pushed by the government over the past four years. These reforms, including amendments to existing laws and establishing a more equitable system of royalties, are starting to show results.

We must be mindful of the human side of mining. Many of our mineral resources are found in regions that have been the home of tribal communities for generations.

It is important that these communities are part of the prosperity that the mining economy creates #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 16, 2018

Kovind said that social expectations from our geoscientific community have increased significantly in recent years. With their deep understanding of landform dynamics, geoscientists have an important role to play in enhancing agricultural productivity and farmer incomes; in providing a bedrock to the Smart Cities initiative; and in helping our fellow citizens fight the challenge of water scarcity, which has emerged as a pressing problem.

All this places a great responsibility on the shoulders of our talented and hardworking geoscientists. He expressed confidence that they would continue to deploy their knowledge and technical skills in the service of our country and our people, added Kovind.

India will host the 36th International Geological Congress in March 2020. This is the biggest geological conference in the world. Please use it as a stage to showcase India’s appreciable progress in geoscience #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 16, 2018