digitalLEARNING — January 2018

MINING SECTOR fi SCOPE AHEAD

december 2017 | dl.eletsonline.com

digitalLEARNING @dl_magazine digitallearningonline

7-8% contribution

of mining sector in

gDP can create 25

million jobs in inDia

Continuous decrease of mining sector share in India’s GDP is

holding GDP’s growth. The mining sector aspires to contribute

7-8% to India’s GDP and if this happens, India would realize

a GDP of 9% in the coming years, writes sunil Duggal, CEO,

Hindustan Zinc for elets news network (enn).

as it gives birth to industrial development,

ancillary industries, employment generation and

prosperity. Employment generation is a key result

but the end result is eradication of poverty.

But, in the last over a decade, the contribution

of mining sector in GDP has been stagnant

to nearly 1.2%, which is highly alarming. The

Indian mining sector grew at a CAGR of 7.3% in

the last decade compared to 22% in China in the

same period. The mining sector in India employs

a smaller percentage of India’s population, just

about 0.3% as compared to 3.8% in South Africa,

1.4% in Chile and 0.7% in China. It is also true

that employment in the Indian mining sector has

T

he development of natural resources dates

back to about 50,000 years - in the Middle

Paleolithic Chert mines of Nazlet Sabaha (or

Safaha), a site on the western banks of the Nile

River in Egypt. In India, Zinc mining dates back to

over 3000 years in Rajasthan at Zawar.

India produces 87 minerals which include

4 fuel minerals, 10 metallic minerals, 47 non-

metallic minerals, 3 atomic minerals and 23

minor minerals.

Mining was important in the ancient times

and mining is important today and for the future

survival of mankind. Development of natural

resources is essential for sustaining economies