Union Coal Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy today called for all stakeholders of the mineral sector to work together to achieve self-reliance, especially of critical minerals. Stating that the country is self-sufficient in the coal sector, he said more reforms and policy decisions will be made for the mineral sector in the coming days.

He inaugurated the Mineral Exploration Hackathon and Critical Minerals Road Show this morning in Hyderabad. The Minister handed over the composite permission letters to the preferred bidders of e-auction held in the 2nd and 3rd tranches related to critical minerals on the occasion. He also released the National District Mineral Fund (DMF) Portal, and reports of Telangana Mineral Spot Lights, Telangana Geology and Mineral Resources.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said the government has taken several steps for development in a transparent way, of all sectors including mines. Stating that the country will become the third largest economy in the world during the next three years, the minister said the mineral sector plays a vital role in achieving self-reliance of the country in various sectors. Stating that mineral exploration has been accelerated, he said the demand for minerals has increased and new and creative methods are being adopted to meet the growing demand.

He also said for the first-time private organizations are being encouraged in mineral exploration and GSI data is being digitized and made available to all for free of cost. He said that efforts are also being made to bring in more reforms and implement the policy changes. Stating that the fruits of the efforts made way back in 2015 started yielding now, Mr Reddy said funds to a tune of one lakh crore rupees have been made available in the DMF and appealed to the state to take advantage of the mineral exploration opportunities. The hackathon will be focussing on several aspects like mining innovative mineral hunt techniques, increasing awareness of mining based on the available geophysical data, use of modern technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning in the mining sector.

Earlier, Bihar Dy Chief Minister V K Sinha, Joint Secretary Mines Dr Veena Kumari, and Director General of GSI, Janardhan Prasad are among who spoke on the occasion.