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MEAI Special Issue - 2018 1

Mining Engineers’ Association of India

Special iSSue

brought on the occasion ofannual General Meeting and award Function

at MEAI Mining Welfare Centre, JaipurJune 30, 2018

Compiled and Edited by Dr. P.V. Rao, Editor, MEJ

MEAI Special Issue 2018 2


Mining Engineers’ Association of IndiaNational Council 2017-19

Secretary GeneralS.Krishnamurthy

Joint Secretary cum TreasurerKolli Umamaheswara Rao

Ex-officio Council Members T. Victor, A. Bagchhi, Dr S.K. Sarangi, Dr V.D. Rajagopal, R.P. Gupta

Council Members (Elected) A.L. Thakor, A.R. Vijay Singh, C.S. Dhaveji, D.A. Hiremath, Deepak Gupta, D.K. Saxena, D.S. Maru, Dr K. Srihari,

Kolli Umamaheswara Rao, Maheem Kachhwaha, Mahesh A. Bongale, M.S. Raju, Pankaj Kumar Satija, R.H. Sawkar, Raghunath Singh, Rajendra Singh Rathore, Prof Sushil Bhandari, S.C. Suthar, S. Kumaraswamy, Vilas Teggi

Representatives of Life Institutional Members The India Cements Ltd (LIM No. 16), The Ramco Cements Ltd (LIM No. 17),

Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (LIM No. 18), Associated Mining Company Ltd (LIM No. 19), NMDC LTD (LIM No. 20)

Council Members (Nominated) T.N. Gunaseelan, A.K. Gupta, A.K. Sinha, S.M. Bothra, Deep Krishna

Council Members (Co-Opted) Dr N.K. Nanda, Prof B.C. Sarkar, Prof B.B. Dhar, M. James, Akhilesh Joshi

PresidentArun Kumar Kothari

Vice President- IS.K. Pattnaik

Vice President - IIIS.N.Mathur

Vice President - IIK. Madhusudhana


Chapter Chairman Secretary

1. Ahmedabad P.N. Rao Pulak Mathur

2. Barajamda Pankaj Kumar Satija Mukesh Ranjan

3. Bailadila A.K. Shukla C.V. Subrahmanyam

4. Bangalore Dr T.N. Venugopal K.R. Krishnamurthy

5. Belgaum D.S. Malkai Dr P.T. Hanamgond

6. Bellary-Hospet B. Sahoo K. Prabhakara Reddy

7. Bhubaneswar R.R. Satpathy Sabyasachy Mishra

8. Dhanbad Dr Pradeep K Singh Dr Santosh K Ray

9. Goa Cletus T D’souza E.Hymakar Reddy

10. Himalayan J.L. Sud S. Randhawa

11. Hutti-Kalaburagi Prakash Shiojee Roy

12. Hyderabad B.R.V. Susheel Kumar Dr C. Narsimulu

13. Jabalpur D. Roy Manoj Sankar Singh

14. Kolkata Dr A. Srikant Shameek Chattopadhyay

15. Nagpur D.K. Sahni K.T. Parag

16. New Delhi A.K. Bhandari Deepak Gupta

17. Rajasthan-Jaipur P.C.Bakliwal Dr. S. K. Wadhawan

18. Rajasthan-Jodhpur Dr P.C. Purohit A.K. Jaiswal

19. Rajasthan-Udaipur Dr S.S. Rathore R.D. Saxena

20. Raipur V.D. Mali Mukhesh Thawait

21. Rayalaseema Jayavelu A. Anil kumar

22. Singareni B. Ramesh Kumar K. Laxminarayana

23. Tamil Nadu P. Ramasamy M. Mayilrajan

24. Veraval-Porbandar Arun Kumar Sharma Manish Kumar Yadav

25. Visakhapatnam Prof. C. Kasipathi K. Venkata Ramana

Mining Engineers’ Association of IndiaChapter Chairmen & Secretaries


Mining Engineers’ Association of IndiaPresidents & Secretaries/Secretary Generals

Period President Secretary/ Secretary Generals

MINING ENGINEERS’ ASSOCIATION1957-64 B.L. Verma Late B.N. Kanwar

1964-67 Late N.S. Claire Late R.C. B. Srivastava

1967-68 L.A. Hill Late S. Chandra

1968-69 H.L. Chopra M.G. Jhingran

1969-70 Late S.S. Manjrekar V.S. Rao

1970-71 Late R.C.B. Srivastava M.G. Jhingran

1971-72 Late R.K. Gandhi B. Roy Chowdhury

1972-73 I.N. Marwaha D.D. Sharan

1973-75 Late R.S. Sastry M.S. Vig

1975-76 Late G.L. Tandon K.K. Biran

MINING ENGINEERS’ ASSOCIATION OF INDIA1975-76 G.L. Tandon K.K. Biran

1976-78 D.L. Patni A.K. Basu

1978-80 R.C. Mohanty S.K. De

1980-81 M.K. Batra R.C. Dutta

1981-82 D.K. Bose S.B. Mukherjee

1982-83 P.R. Merh M.K. Srivastava

1983-86 V.S. Rao L.S. Sinha

1986-88 M.A.Khan D.K. Sen

1988-90 Saligram Singh A. Panigrahi

1990-93 M. Fasihuddin B. Mishra

1993-95 K.K. Biran S. Chandrasekaran

1995-97 N.S. Malliwal Dr. P.V. Rao

1997-2001 T.V. Chowdary C.L.V.R. Anjaneyulu (S.G)

2001-2003 R.N. Singh - do -

2003-2007 Meda Venkataiah - do -

2007-2009 R.P. Gupta C.L.V.R. Anjaneyulu & Shri A.S. Rao

2009-2011 Dr. V.D. Rajagopal A.S. Rao

2011-2013 Dr. S.K. Sarangi - do -

2013-2015 A. Bagchhi Koneru Venkateswara Rao

2015-2017 T. Victor - do -

2017-19 Arun Kumar Kothari S. Krishnamurthy


1. Aarvee Associates, Architects, Engineers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-049)2. ACC Ltd (LIM-25) 3. A.P. Mineral Dev. Corp.Ltd., (LIM-12) 4. Aravali Minerals & Chemical Industries (P) Ltd. (LM-048) 5. Associated Mining Co., (LIM-19) 6. Associated Soapstone Distributing Co. (P) Ltd. (LIM-057) 7. Belgaum Minerals (LIM-64) 8. Bharat Alloys & Energy Ltd., (LIM-36)9. Capstone Geo Consultants (India) Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-66) 10. Designer Rocks (P) Ltd., (LIM-32) 11. FCI Aravali Gypsum & Minerals India Ltd. (LIM-61) 12. Grasim Industries Ltd., (LIM-26)13. Ambuja Cements Ltd., (LIM-3) 14. Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd., (LIM-6)15. Gujarat Mineral Dev. Copr Ltd. (LIM-18) 16. Gujarat Sidhee Cements Ltd., (LIM-4) 17. Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. (LIM-9) (Formerly IDL Industries Limited.)18. Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (LIM-60) 19. The India Cements Ltd. (LIM-16) 20. Indian Rare Earths Ltd., (LIM-35) 21. J.K. Cement Ltd (LIM-058) 22. JSW Cement Ltd. (LIM-63) 23. Jubilee Granites India Pvt. Ltd., (LIM-23) 24. Kariganur Mineral Mining Industry (LIM-41)25. Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd., (LIM-33) 26. Krishna Mines (LIM-27) 27. Lafarge India Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-69) 28. Madras Cements Ltd., (LIM-17) 29. Manganese Ore (India) Ltd., (LIM-37) 30. M.P.L. Parts & Services Ltd., (LIM-14) 31. MSPL Limited (LIM-30) 32. Mysore Minerals Limited (LIM-45) 33. My Home Industries Limited (LIM-70) 34. Maheswari Minerals (LIM-65) (Laterite Mine Owners and Traders) 35. National Aluminium Co. Ltd, (LIM-1)

36. NMDC Ltd. (LIM-20)37. Obulapuram Mining Co. (P) Ltd. (LIM-54)38. Orient Cement (LIM-059)39. Panduronga - Timblo Industries (LIM-056)40. Pearl Mineral Ltd., (LIM-39)41. Priyadarshini Cement Ltd., (LIM-5)42. Radials International (LIM-29)43. Rajgarhia Group of Industries (LIM - 050)44. R.K. Marbles Pvt. Ltd., (LIM - 52)45. Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals (LIM-053)46. Sagar Cements Ltd., (LIM-21)47. Sandvik Asia Limited (LIM-46)48. Sesa Goa Ltd., (LIM-11)49. Shree Cement Ltd. (LIM-051)50. Shri Sharda Cold Retreads (P) Ltd., (LIM-24)51. Shree Engineering Services (LIM-15)52. S.N. Mohanty (LIM-62)53. South India Mines & Minerals Industries (LIM-2)54. South West Mining Ltd. (LIM-40)55. Sri Kumarswamy Mineral Exports (LIM-43)56. Sudarshan Group of Industries (LIM-047)57. Tata Chemicals Ltd., (LIM-7)58. Tata Steel Limited (LIM-8)59. Terra Reserves Determination Technologies (P) Ltd., (LIM-055)60. The K.C.P. Ltd., (LIM-22)61. Thriveni Earthmovers (P) Ltd., (LIM-31)62. Transworld Garnet India Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-67)63. Tungabhadra Minerals Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-42)64. UltraTech Cement Ltd., A.P. Cement Works, (LIM-28)65. Ultra Tech Cement Ltd. (LIM-10)66. Veerabhadrappa Sangappa & Company (LIM-44)67. V. Thirupathi Naidu (LIM-34)68. VS Lad & Sons (LIM-38)69. V.V. Mineral (LIM-68)70. W.B. Engineers International Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-13)

iNSTiTuTiONal MeMBeRS1. B.L. Meena Marbles

Mining Engineers’ Association of IndiaLIFE INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS


Contents

1. President's Report 2017-18 9

2. Awards 2017 - 18 12

MEAI - Lifetime Achievement Award 13

MEAI- Service Excellence Award 15

MEAI Annual Awards 22

3. International Initiatives

SME News 27

CRIRSCO NEWS 30

4. Indian Mining Day 34

5. Inauguration of MEAI auditorium and new office premises 43

6. MEAI Chapters' News

Ahmedabad Chapter 44

Barajamda Chapter 46

Bangalore Chapter 51

Belgaum Chapter 56

Bellary - Hospet Chapter 58

Dhanbad Chapter 61

Goa Chapter 64

Hyderabad Chapter 65

Kolkata Chapter 67

Rajasthan Chapter - Jaipur 68

Rajasthan Chapter - Jodhpur 74

Rajasthan Chapter - Udaipur 77

Tamilnadu Chapter 84

7. Recommendations made to NITI Aayog by MEAI 85

8. Recommendations made to Committee on National Mineral Policy by MEAI 87


Visuals of auditorium and office inauguration ceremony at national Headquarters, Hyderabad

New Administrative Office and Auditorium

Inaugural Function of New Auditorium

Unveiling of Auditorium Plaque by Chief Guest

New Auditorium

Presidents Chamber

Release of MEAI Introductory Brochure


President's rePort 2017-18It is my proud privilege, as the leader of the National Council of the Association, to share with you the highlights of major achievements during the past one-year i.e. 2017-18. Our Office Bearers and the National Council, in coordination and cooperation with the leadership of our Chapters, worked hard to uplift the brand image of the Association in several quarters, both in government and non-government sectors of India and abroad. In persuasion of these goals, during the last one year, I have been travelling extensively for furthering the progress of the Association. Apart from visiting the Association’s Headquarters at Hyderabad every month, I participated in person in the activities of Jodhpur, Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, Barajamda, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar and Dhanbad Chapters.

Ours is the only association in India that could establish Association-level membership with overseas professional organisations viz. Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME), USA and leading a unique initiative in India to develop an Indian Reserves Public Reporting Code that is compliant with International Reserves Reporting Standards like CRIRSCO. We have chosen ‘Better mining through better learning’ slogan for the term 2017-19 and our National Council and the Chapters are consciously working towards realizing this objective.

I wish to highlight the following incredible achievements of the Association during 2017-18.

1. Increased connect among members: In the last one year my emphasis was to build fraternal relationship among the members of MEAI by bringing awareness in the Chapters to create WhatsApp groups and also adding the National President and Secretary General as a members of the group. Similarly, we have also created a National Council WhatsApp group. This has proved to be an effective tool in our quest to share our knowledge and important developments in the mining sector along with increased networking between our members. During the last one year, a lot of useful information related to mining sector and MEAI was exchanged through this media. I congratulate all those Chapters who are successfully using this media for knowledge sharing and encourage those Chapters who are yet to create their own WhatsApp group. This will form as one of the important criteria for the selection of Best Chapter Award next year. One more request to all the members is to be self-disciplined in the group and use this facility for the intended purpose only.

2. Mining Engineers’ Journal: Publishing Mining Engineers’ Journal regularly is a major activity of the Association and since last one year, we have published it regularly without a single day delay. We started publishing only peer reviewed technical articles in the Journal. We have also made this Journal self-sustainable by procuring advertisements from various companies. Now our thrust is towards increasing the subscriber base for MEJ. Keeping in view the cost effectiveness and preventing MEJ copy from damage in transport, we have introduced plastic see-through envelope for its dispatch.

3. Diamond jubilee celebrations of MEAI: The yearlong Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the Association were befittingly concluded at JRD Tata Training Institute, Noamundi Iron Mines, Tata Steel on March 23, 2018 by organizing a one-day Seminar on “ Technology Innovation and Safety in Mining Industry” and Blood Donation Camps at Tata Sponge, Joda and at Udaipur. The venue, Barajamda Chapter, chosen for celebrating the event was apt because the Association took its birth here with a few dedicated mining professionals.

4. Completion of Auditorium and Inauguration Ceremony: MEAI Headquarters (HQ) acquired a new premise adjacent to its current office premise. Under the direction and guidance of the New Building Project Committee, the current office premise was altered into a splendid Auditorium and the newly acquired premise was transformed into new office. The new Conference cum Auditorium was inaugurated on January 24, 2018 by Shri Ajay Mishra, IAS, Spl. Chief Secretary, Govt. of Telangana. Thus, the MEAI HQ have been strengthened with a Conference cum Auditorium facility, having a capacity for 80 persons and equipped with modern audio visual facilities required to conduct technical programs and meetings. I appreciate the efforts put in by Shri A. Bagchhi for generating funds, Shri T.V. Chowdary, Chairman, Building Committee and his team for the renovation work, and Past President Mr. T. Victor for this project.

5. Completion of new HQ Office: Our new office at MEAI HQ started functioning more efficiently in a corporate like atmosphere. To ensure smooth functioning of the office, one full time accountant cum office supervisor has been appointed.

6. Amendments to and printing of Bylaws: The Constitution Amendment Committee of the Association successfully completed its task and presented its recommendations to the National Council. The proposed amendments were deliberated by the National Council, approved them with minor modifications and recommended them to the General


body of the Association for approval. The General Body ratified the amendments in an Emergency General Meeting called for the purpose and the amended bylaws came into effect from March 1, 2018. The amended bylaws were printed for reference, record and distribution to the members.

7. MoU with SME and meeting with SME leaders at Hyderabad: A historical event took place on June 1, 2017 when MEAI signed a Joint Agreement with SME, USA, one of the internationally acclaimed professional societies in the world. We are looking at this as an opportunity to enhance our Association’s international profile. By becoming as an ‘Association Member’ of SME under this agreement, MEAI with its over 5000 membership from 25 Chapters spread across every mineral rich district of the county, is poised to become a leading professional body in South Asia!. Consequently, all MEAI members gained free access to the publications and content available on the website of SME. The MEAI will explore possibility of partnership with SME in designing and hosting large-scale expositions and high-level technical conferences in India.

Another MEAI-SME meeting was held in Hyderabad, India on August 23, 2017 where the SME President and Executive Director represented SME and International Affairs Committee & several past presidents represented MEAI.

8. Progress of MOU with CRIRSCO: An international recognition to MEAI was achieved by signing a MoU with CRIRSCO (Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards) - a voluntary body formed by major international professional bodies in the world- in February 2016 at Phoenix, USA to develop an internationally acceptable Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Code for India. MEAI took firm lead and played a pivotal role in bringing together the leading professional bodies, mineral-based companies, consulting companies and domain experts in India on to a single platform and forming a National Core Committee (NACRI) towards achieve this goal. The day is not far-off when NACRI will be recognized as the National Reporting Organisation (NRO) and MEAI as a Recognized Professional Organization (RPO) of India by CRIRSCO.

9. Formation of New Committees for the term 2017-19 for inclusive governance through decentralization of responsibilities: To ensure flawless functioning of the Association, new committees such as International Affairs committee, Resource Mobilization committee, Program committee, Membership committee, Constitution Amendment committee, Website Renovation committee, New Building Project committee, Data Compilation Committee and Legal Issues resolving committee were constituted under the Chairmanship of subject experts, and empowered them to take decisions.

10. Personal Donation by members: For any organization to achieve its objectives, finance plays a major role. On my appeal, many of our members came forward and made significant personal financial contributions to strengthen MEAI this year. My sincere thanks to all of them. I again appeal to all the members to make generous financial contribution to the Association HQ and use their good offices to provide advertisement sponsorship for MEJ to build financially robust MEAI.

11. Timely Council & Annual General Meetings: As envisioned in the Association bylaws, the National Council held four meetings viz. two in Hyderabad, one at Dhanbad and one today at Jaipur to dispose of its business. Similarly we have convened EGM on January 24, 2018 and AGM today itself. The attendance in the Council meetings & AGM has been encouraging.

12. Website renovation: The Website Renovation committee has successfully revamped the existing MEAI website by adding several advance features and maintaining the MEAI website from Delhi. We have purchased another web domain “meai.co.in” and both the websites are operative.

13. Membership development: As on March 1, 2018, the Association membership of all categories rose to 5378 with 31 Annual members, 86 Fellows, 81 Student members, 2 Institutional members and 70 Life Institutional members. The Association also conferred Honorary Membership on 16 distinguished personalities associated with the mineral industry.

14. Creation of Welfare Fund: In 2nd Council meeting, a decision was taken to create a Welfare Fund for the members who were instrumental and immensely contributed in the progress of the Association but suffering from any critical disease and badly in need of financial help. Formation of Byelaws in this regard is in progress.

15. Land for MEAI HQ at Hyderabad: A delegation from MEAI met Hon’ble Minister of Mines, Telangana with a request to allot a piece of land to build offices for conducting the activities of the Association HQ and Hyderabad Chapter. The Minister of Mines has kindly considered our request and assigned this responsibility to Chairman, Hyderabad Chapter & Director of Mines & Geology, Telangana.


16. Land for MEAI at Udaipur: Similarly, we also met with Hon’ble Minister for Home, Govt. of Rajasthan and he agreed to allot a piece of land for building a Research cum Training Centre at Udaipur. Application has already been filed in UIT Udaipur.

17. Effective representation of MEAI in GoI and Niti Aayog Committees: In response to our lasting efforts, Ministry of Mines, GoI recognized MEAI and extended invitation to attend all its important committees meetings. The MoM recognized the MEAI by co-opting it as a member of the review committee formed to formulate National Mineral Policy (NMP), 2018. Our team effectively presented the mineral sector’s concerns to the NMP review committee, offered suggestions in writing and published the same in MEJ November 2017 issue.

MEAI was also nominated as a member of a committee constituted by NITI Aayog to develop a strategy paper aiming at creating visible employment and growth in mineral sector by 2022. Out team actively participated in the discussions, pinpointed the reasons for the slow or negative progress, and suggested corrective measures. We also offered our suggestion to NITI Aayog in writing and published the same in MEJ November 2017 issue for the benefit of our members.

18. Revival of dormant chapters: This year we succeeded in reviving Delhi, Kolkata, and Veraval-Porbandar Chapters by electing new Office bearers and Executive committees. They started functioning with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. These Chapters were left defunct for a long period. Not only this. We are in the process of stream lining the election process of all the Chapters. All the chapters, whose present Executive body completed two years, were advised to conduct election to elect new Executive body, before June this year.

19. International/ National Seminars, Workshops, Exhibitions, Conferences and Technical Talks: This year, record number of events (more than 100) were organised by our Chapters, which were attended by several VIPs representing politicians and bureaucrats. I attended almost all the important events conducted by the Association. For the first time, the recommendations arrived at in such events were favourably considered for action both by the Central and State Governments.

20. Indian Mining Day Celebrations: Indian Mining Day was celebrated by most of our Chapters in a grand manner throughout the Country On 1st November. MEAI Headquarters, Hyderabad also set an example by conducting various programmes on Indian Mining Day 2017, in a simple, yet grand and purposeful manner. The Headquarters office conducted Elocution, Quiz and Essay Writing competitions for the Mining Engineering Students at Mines Safety & Productivity Council Conference Hall, Hyderabad. The students of four Engineering Colleges including Osmania University attended the programs conducted by Shri K. Peter, LM MEAI & Vocational Training Officer (MSPC Ltd). The HOD and a Senior Professor in the Department of Mining Engineering, Mallareddy Engineering College, Hyderabad participated and functioned as judges. Prizes were distributed to the winners and two runners-up of the three competitions.

21. HQ Share received from events held by Chapters: For the first time we were successful in creating an environment amongst Chapters to divert 25% of surpluses to HQ from any event organised by them as per the provisions of Byelaws. I am happy to bring it to the knowledge of the Council that this year, from July 2017 to June 2018, we have received Rs. 12,89,328 from Rajasthan Chapter-Udaipur, Rs. 1,00,000 from Ahmedabad Chapter, Rs. 10,00,000 from Hyderabad Chapter, Rs. 5952 from Bangalore Chapter, Rs. 2,01,868 from Barajamda Chapter and Rs. 2,25,000 from Nagpur Chapter, totalling Rs. 28,22,148. From these receipts, Rs. 20,00,000 (Rupees twenty lakh only) were deposited as Fixed Deposits in Banks. My sincere thanks to all the Chapters.

I thank my full team, and members of various committees who wholeheartedly supported me in making the above achievement possible and I am confident of getting similar support in the ensuing year also.

Jai Hind

Arun Kumar KothariPresident


Mining Engineers’ Association of IndiaAwards 2017 - 18

MEAI Annual AwardsMEAI-Sitaram Rungta Memorial Award Shri A.K. GargMEAI-NMDC Award Dr. S.K. ChaulyaMEAI- Smt. Bala Tandon Memorial Award Dr. D.P. MishraMEAI- Abheraj Baldota Memorial Gold Medal Award (Mining Engineer of the year) Dr. S.C. JainMEAI- Abheraj Baldota Memorial Gold Medal Award (Young Mining Engineer of the year) Shri Akhil AvacharMEAI- Smt. Gullapalli Sarala Devi Memorial Award (Lifetime achievement by a Mining Engineer) Shri K. LaxminarayanaMEAI- Master Tanay Chadha Memorial Geologist Award Shri Sunil Kumar VashisthMEAI-Eco-friendly Mining Award Srri Suryanshu ChoudhuryMEAI- SCCL Coal Award – Mining Engineer Shri Matchagiri NarendarMEAI- SCCL Coal Award – Mechanical Engineer Shri J. ChristopherMEAI- SCCL Coal Award – Foreman / Overman Shri R. Butchaiah MEAI Best Chapter AwardsMEAI- BEST CHAPTER AWARD Rajasthan Chapter – UdaipurMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Rajasthan Chapter – JaipurMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Rajasthan Chapter – JodhpurMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Ahmedabad ChapterMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Barajamda ChapterMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Bellary-Hospet ChapterMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Hyderabad ChapterMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Bangalore ChapterMEAI- ACTIVE CHAPTER AWARD Dhanbad Chapter

MEAI- Life/ Institutional Membership Development Award Shri K. Prabhakara ReddyMEAI- Special Award for enrolling Maximum Life Members Bellary – Hospet Chapter

MEAI- Special Award for launching/ reviving a Chapter Shri T.N. Gunashleen, Kolkata Chapter Shri C.M. Dwivedi, Veraval - Porbandar Chapter Shri Arun K Sharma, Chairman Veraval - Porbandar Chapter

MEAI-Lifetime Achievement AwardShri T.V. Chowdary, Past President, MEAIShri T. Victor, Past President, MEAI

MEAI- Service Excellence AwardShri Sanjay Pattnaik, Vice President –I, MEAIShri K. Madhusudhana, Vice President – II, MEAIShri S.N. Mathur, Vice President – III, MEAIShri O.P. Gupta, Former Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter – JaipurProf Sushil Bhandari, Former Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter – JodhpurShri Y.C. Gupta, Former Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter – UdaipurShri R.H. Sawkar, Former Chairman, Bangalore ChapterShri M. James, Former Chairman, Tamilnadu ChapterShri Pankaj Kumar Satija, Chairman Barajamda ChapterShri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Chairman, Hyderabad ChapterDr. P.K. Singh, Chairman, Dhanbad ChapterShri Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Delhi ChapterShri K.U. Rao, Jt. Secretary-cum-Treasurer (Nominated), MEAI Shri T.N. Gunaseelan, Council Member (Nominated)Dr. P.V. Rao, Editor MEJ


meai - lifetime acHieVement award

T.V. ChowdaryMr. T.V. Chowdary, BE (Mining), M.B.A, L.L.B, after an initial stint of 4 years in Bengal Coal Company of Andrew Yule, joined the Govt. of A.P as Astt. Director of Mines in the Department of Mines and Geology in 1969. He rose to the highest position as Director in the Department at 41 years age and held the post for 17 years. During his tenure as Director of Mines and Geology, he was instrumental in stream lining the processing of applications for Mineral Concessions which paved way for phenomenal growth of mining industry in the State and in turn maximizing mineral revenue to the State’s Exchequer making Andhra Pradesh as number one in the Country.

Mr. Chowdary formulated a New Granite Mining Policy, which transformed the Industry from exporting raw blocks to creating value addition by the establishment of cutting and polishing units in a big way in the State. The Govt. of India later adopted the said policy for the entire Country bringing in Granite Conservation and Development

Rules 1999. He founded DMRTUF (Development of Mineral Resources and Technology Upgradation Fund) first of its kind in the Country to take up research and development and technology upgradation in the mineral industry. During his tenure with the Govt., he was also heading various Public Sector undertakings such as APMDC, NEDCAP, APSRIC, APTEX etc.

Mr. Chowdary travelled widely, participated in various International Seminars, World Mining Congress and visited various mines, particularly Granite and Marble. He was a Member of UNDP and visited Asbestos processing plant in Bolivia and held discussions in Vienna, Austria for setting up Asbestos Processing plant in A.P. He is a Member of MEAI (he was President for 2 terms), FIE, IEI, SME etc. During his tenure as President, the Headquarters of MEAI has been shifted to Hyderabad, started publication of MEJ apart from opening many new Chapters in the Country.

Post retirement from the Govt. service, Mr. Chowdary as Director of Trimex Group of Companies is instrumental in setting up a world class integrated mining and mineral separation project at Srikakulam in A.P by involving himself right from exploration, mine planning, obtaining all clearances/approvals, sourcing of technology etc. He is also an Independent Director in few other Companies. Lifetime

Mr. Chowdary received “RUNGTA” award in 1992 for best paper presentation, “Rastriya Gaurav Award 1993” by all India Achievers Conference, New Delhi for his contribution in the Development of Non-conventional Sources of Energy in Andhra Pradesh, and “Lifetime Achievement Award’’ by IMEJ at New Delhi in the year 2014 for his contribution in Mineral Administration and Innovation in Mining Industry.

MEAI- Service Excellence AwardShri Sanjay Pattnaik, Vice President –I, MEAIShri K. Madhusudhana, Vice President – II, MEAIShri S.N. Mathur, Vice President – III, MEAIShri O.P. Gupta, Former Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter – JaipurProf Sushil Bhandari, Former Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter – JodhpurShri Y.C. Gupta, Former Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter – UdaipurShri R.H. Sawkar, Former Chairman, Bangalore ChapterShri M. James, Former Chairman, Tamilnadu ChapterShri Pankaj Kumar Satija, Chairman Barajamda ChapterShri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Chairman, Hyderabad ChapterDr. P.K. Singh, Chairman, Dhanbad ChapterShri Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Delhi ChapterShri K.U. Rao, Jt. Secretary-cum-Treasurer (Nominated), MEAI Shri T.N. Gunaseelan, Council Member (Nominated)Dr. P.V. Rao, Editor MEJ


T. VictorMr T. Victor, a Mining Engineer by profession, actively serving the mining industry for the past 57 years on various assignments.

Started his career with research on ‘problems in deep underground mining’ at Kolar Gold Fields. He moved to opencast mining in 1963 and gained experience on different minerals / ores mining including Chromite, Magnesite, Silica Sand, Manganese and iron ore. He had a distinguished service record of 25 years with M/s. Sesa Goa Limited, then an MNC and the single largest Iron Ore producer and exporter in India in the private sector, now part of Vedanta Group. He headed Mining Projects, Mineral Processing, Shipbuilding and Engineering Divisions. With his specialized experience in mineral processing, he has designed and built over 35 process plants including eight beneficiation plants, for treating different types of iron ore. He was advisor and consultant to several mining and export organizations in Goa, Karnataka, Indonesia, Mozambique and other

African countries on iron ore processing, beneficiation and logistics.

During his tenure (2015-17) as National President of Mining Engineers’ Association of India (MEAI), the Association has made following milestones achievements:

1. MEAI received International recognition by signing global strategic partnership and professional collaboration with SME (USA) and CRIRSCO an International Organization, which promotes international best practice in the Public Reporting of Mineral Resources and Reserves.

2. Received recognition as ‘Premier Mining Professional Body’ from Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India.

3. Enhanced quality of ‘Mining Engineers’ Journal’ in its standard of content and presentation.

4. Created opportunity to Mining Engineers to enroll in the National Register of Professionals in association with Engineering Council of India.

5. Acquired additional premises to the existing office accommodation and initiated modernization of the National Headquarters.

6. A magnificent ‘world event’ was organized and hosted at Jaipur in November 2016, with full involvement of Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur: The CRIRSCO Annual Meet 2016, an international event, where eminent earth science and mining professionals from 14 countries have participated. Secretary, MoM, GoI, who was the Chief Guest, acknowledged, applauded and recognized MEAI’s capabilities and its role in the Indian mineral industry.

7. 25th Chapter of MEAI was inaugurated on June 17, 2017 at Dhanbad, the Coal Capital of India.

8. Celebrated Diamond Jubilee (60 years of MEAI), with special programs organized throughout 2017.

Mr. T. Victor is a recipient of 'NMDC – Gold Medal' for his outstanding contribution to Indian Iron Ore mining industry for the year 1997, awarded by MEAI. He continues to serve the Association as Chairman of ‘Committee for International Affairs’. He is an accomplished Mining Engineer, committed to his profession, born in 1940 on the land of Gold (Kolar Gold Fields).

meai - lifetime acHieVement award


Mr Sanjay Kumar PattnaikManaging DirectorTata Sponge Iron LtdT: +91 674 2362121, M: +91 9861050099E-Mail: [email protected]

Mr Sanjay Kumar Pattnaik is currently working as Managing Director of Tata Sponge. He was General Manager, Raw Materials Strategy Group in Tata Steel before moving to Tata Sponge. Mr. Sanjay Pattnaik completed his B.E Degree in Mining Engineering from the Osmania University in 1983 and has done Advanced Management Programme from CEDEP - INSEAD, France in 2004. Upon completion of his graduation, Mr. Pattnaik joined Tata Steel in the year-1983 and had a long stint of 31 years in different functions & Divisions of the Company. His area of operation has been raw materials, port operations & logistics solutions, liaison & business facilitation, policy & regulatory affairs relating to mining etc.

He has served on the Boards of Tata Refractories, Nilachal Refractory Ltd., Trustee of Paradip Port Trust and as Vice-President, Utkal Chamber of Commerce & Industries (UCCI). He was the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Odisha State Council during 2016-17. He also served as Non-Executive Director of Tata Sponge from July-2003 until August-2009.

Presently he is the President of Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) and Vice-President-I of Mining Engineering Association of India (MEAI). He is also Director of T M Mining Company Ltd, (A Joint venture between Tata Steel & MMTC) and member of the Executive Council of the Society of Geo-Scientists & Allied Technologists (SGAT). He is a sports enthusiast & a cricket buff and has widely travelled in India and abroad.

K. Madhusudhana MOBILE: 9900256759; EMAIL: [email protected]

Mr. K. MADHUSUDHANA, born on 3rd September 1969 in ANANTAPUR District of Andhra Pradesh, is a well-known persona in Mining arena, has 29 years of rich experience in Underground and Opencast Mines of Asbestos, Barytes, Chromite, Lime stone and Iron Ore . His experience includes 6 years in Underground mines at APMDC ltd, Andhra Pradesh and Ferro Alloys Corporation (FACOR), Chromite mines, Odisha. He served for 10 years in Penna Cement industries limited as a Mining Head and then joined Baldota Group of Companies as Sr. Mines Manager in 2005 and rose to the level of VICE PRESIDENT - Mines.

He has completed MBA (HR) in 2004 from Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh with accolade.

He is recipient of Smt. Bala Tandon Award along with a Gold Medal from Mining Engineers Association of India for 2004-05. He also received MEAI “Membership Development Award” for enrolling large number of life members during the year 2004-05 (Rayalaseema Chapter) and 2008-09 & 2015-16 (Bellary-Hospet Chapter). He is Founder Chairman of Rayalaseema Chapter and served as National Council Member of MEAI. At present, he is MEAI National Vice President-II and MSAK, ZONE-1 Secretary since 7 years.

meai- serVice excellence award


S. N. Mathur

Mr S. N. Mathur was graduated in Mining Engineering from Jodhpur University in 1971. He holds First Class Coal Mine Managers’ Certificate of Competency. He served Pench & Kanhan Valley Coalfields in Chhindwara district of MP during pre-& post nationalization period, now under WCL, for about 8 years and then joined

GMDC. He served GMDC for 27 years in various capacities and superannuated as General Manager (Lignite Projects & Sales) in August 2007.

Post retirement, he served Gujarat Industries Power Co. Ltd. (GIPCL) as Executive Director (Mining) for one year. He sorted out back-fill dump slope stability problem of their mine by introducing reverse dumping system. Since then he is working as independent Mining Consultant / Advisor to mining companies. He recently joined as CEO with M/s Mahalaxmi Infracontract Pvt. Ltd. Ahmedabad to develop and operate their Lignite Mining Project for 2.25 Mtpa lignite supplies to adjoining 500 MW Thermal Power Plant.

He was the founder Secretary of MEAI Ahmedabad Chapter. He was later elected as its Chairman for three terms. He organized a number of National & International Seminars on behalf of Ahmedabad Chapter. He introduced Local Centre system in the Chapter for increased involvement and better participation of members in Chapter’s activities. He introduced Best Local Centre and Best Member Annual Awards and felicitation of veteran members of the Chapter. He encouraged involvement of Mining Degree and Diploma College, and Geology College students in MEAI activities and organized Seminars by & for students in their colleges.

Under his leadership, the Ahmedabad Chapter won the Best Chapter / Special Awards for excellent performance four times during past five years. The Chapter has won special awards for four consecutive years for celebrating Indian Mining Day at all mines within Chapter’s jurisdiction. He introduced a series of annual B K Antia memorial lectures in memory of the late founder Chairman Shri Antia, on the foundation day of the Chapter every year (14th June).

He was awarded the MEAI Best Member Award in the year 2012. He was on the MEAI National Council for four different terms; two terms each as Nominated Member and Co-opted member. He is now elected Vice President-III of MEAI for the term 2017-19.

Prof. Sushil Bhandari

Prof Sushil Bhandari obtained BE degree from Jodhpur University, Master’s degree from BHU and Ph.D from the University of New South Wales.

He has 45 years’ experience in Teaching, Mining Industry, Explosives Industry, Educational Administration, and Multimedia & Mining Software Development. He spent 25 years as Professor

of Mining in JNV University, Jodhpur with additional teaching in Federation University (Formerly University of Ballarat), Australia and Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. He has been Member of Advisory Board, Indian Bureau of Mines. His Consulting and Research has been in the field of Rock Blasting, Mine Environment and Mine Computer Applications. He was a Member of Board of Directors, Tamil Nadu Industrial Explosives and Central Mine Planning and Design Institute.

He was Professor and Head of the Department of Mining Engineering in Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur from April, 1981 to January 2005; and was Dean, Faculty of Engineering 1998-2001. Before joining University, he worked with a leading explosives manufacturer and also in hard rock underground mines of Uranium Corporation of India, Jaduguda & North Broken Hill Limited, Australia and Assistant Director of Geology Mining, Government of Gujarat. He has remained Adjunct Professor with the Federation University (Formerly University of Ballarat), Australia and Associate with Monash University, Australia. He was Director, Educational Multimedia Research Centre, J.N.V. University, Jodhpur. Over 152 educational TV films have been produced during his tenure of over 4years covering science, engineering, culture, history and other subjects. These films are broadcast on national educational TV programs.

He is Fellow of Institution of Engineers (India) and Member of Mining, Geological and Metallurgical Institute of India. Member of Fragblast, IOC since 1983 and has remained Co-editor of International Journal of Rock Fragmentation by Blasting. He published over 120 papers and has participated in over 20 International conferences and presented papers in USA, Canada, China, Sweden, Japan, Austria, Indonesia, Oman and Australia.

He was recipient of National Mineral Award 2001for his contribution to Mining Technology, distinguished Alumnus Award 2001 from Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, National Visiting Teacher Award 1999 from Indian Society of Technical Education, Life Time Achievement Award RockEX-04 from Indian Journal of Mining Engineering and University Gold Medal from Banaras Hindu University.



Y. C. Gupta

Mr. Y.C. Gupta did Mining Engineering in the year 1962 from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur. Immediately after grad-uation, he joined Dept. of Mines & Geology, Rajasthan and continued till the year 2000, serving for 38 yrs. He retired as Addl. Director Mines and worked at various places in regu-latory positions, executed/ supervised Mineral Exploration projects and associated with the Planning and Environment Cell of the Dept. for a considerable period. He worked in Ra-jasthan Mineral Development Corporation on deputation for a period of about one year. He attended World Mining Con-gress and few other International Conferences / Exhibitions, and was associated in organizing Seminars/ Conferences by the Dept. He was associated in drafting various regula-tory legislations in the Dept. He studied project economics in Delhi School of Economics for 2 months.

Since year 2000, he has been active member of Mining En-gineers Association of India, including a member National Council for 4 years. He was Chairman and Secretary of the Rajasthan Chapter- Udaipur for 4 years. Presented good number of technical papers in National Seminars/ Work-shops on various subjects. For the last 18 years, he has been the editor of Bi- Monthly newsletter of the Chapter, having all India circulation (First issue came out in Janu-ary 2001). He assisted/ actively participated in organizing National Seminars/ Conferences by the Chapter since year 2001. He was a member of National Committee constituted in year 2009 to review and suggest amendments to MEAI Memorandum of Associations and Rules & Regulations.

He actively participated in the IEI (India) Indian Engineering Congress held at Udaipur in the year 2007. He was a mem-ber of the Executive Committee of Institution of Engineers (India), Local Centre, Udaipur for 2 years.

The Rajasthan Chapter- Udaipur honored him as Eminent Mining Personality in the year 2017, in a National Seminar held at Udaipur.

R.H SawkarGeological Resource Consultant

Mr R.H. Sawkar was born on 29.03.1934, graduated with M.Sc Degree in Geology from Mysore University and entered the Karnataka State Department of Mines and Geology in the year 1959. He subsequently served in the National Mineral Development Corporation, Mysore Minerals, Chitradurga Copper Company, Hutti Gold Mines Ltd., and in the investigation of raw materials for Vijayanagar Steel plant, which is now JSW. He was trained in photo interpretation by Prof. Roopke and subsequently in the satellite imagery interpretation. He has undergone a training programme in prospecting and Mine Development in Australia under Colombo plan. He served as Agent of Mysore Minerals, Deputy Managing Director of Chitradurga Copper Company and Director of Hutti Gold Mines Ltd. He was involved in Exploration, Mine Development and preparation of Bankable document on Gold along with Prof. Viljoen of South Africa. He modified the Chitradurga Copper Beneficiation plant to Gold beneficiation plant to treat gold ore associated with BIF of Ajjanahalli.

He is associated with all the leading earth science Associations in India and abroad and is currently the Secretary of Geological Society of India, Publisher of the Journal of the Geological Society of India and former Treasurer of the Journal of International Union Geological Sciences Episodes. He is also active in Mining and Metallurgical fields. He was former Chairman of the MEAI, Bangalore Chapter and working President, Karnataka Jalbiradari. He is a Member of Dam Safety Committee since a long time and represent Geological Society of India in the World Water Council.

He is associated with the State and Central Geological Programming Boards since a long time. He represents Geological Society of India on Policy matters of Karnataka State.



Pankaj Kumar Satija

A graduate mining engineer from IIT (ISM), Dhanbad with PGDBM from XLRI, Mr Pankaj Satija has blended mining operation with framework of Safety, Health and Environment. As PMP certified professional he has undergone Indo German Manager Programme at Germany and pursuing LEAD Fellowship at present.

Mr Pankaj Satija is working for Tata Steel Ltd as Chief Regulatory Affairs. He has more than 23 years of experience in Strategic Planning, Project Management, Mine Planning, Mining Operations, Production and Maintenance. Under his leadership, vetiver plantation experiment was carried out in 2012, first time in Indian mining industry with the collaboration of IIT Kharagpur at Joda East mine of Tata Steel. He has been in task force for Sustainable Development Framework for Indian Mining Industry constituted by Ministry of Mines. Under his leadership, Sukinda chromite mine of Tata Steel became the first mine in the country where pilot launch of SDF (Sustainable Development Framework) was done in Jan 2016. Under his leadership, Noamundi became the first mine in the country where pilot launch for Drone Application in Mine Monitoring (DAMM) was launched in Jan 2017. ‘SABAL - Centre for Abilities’ (2nd in India) was also started at Noamundi under his leadership which will groom PWD (Person with Disability) for a brighter future by offering various skill development courses.

He is recipient of FIMI Gem Granite Sustainability Award 2014-15 and Excellent Performer Award 2015 from Legasis. He is a member of QP & NOS committee and Governing Board of Skill Council of Mineral Sector. He is a member of National Council of MEAI. He is a recipient of Best Corporate Management Innovative Excellence Award 2016-17 at GeoMinTech symposium, Bhubaneswar. He is the recipient of Bala Gulshan Tandon Excellence Award from FIMI for his significant contribution towards assisting the mine achieving excellence through Sustainable mining for 2016-17.He is the recipient of IME Journal annual award for innovation in 2017. He has been associated with professional bodies and has numerous papers published in National and International Journals to his credit.

M. JamesMob: +91-9840404603, +91-9444289405

Date of birth: November 24, 1960.

Qualification:FCC (METAL), M. Phil, PG (Mineral Exploration & Mining), Labour Law

Experience & Position: 28 Years G/-Mines, South India corporation, Chairman, Tamilnadu Chapter 2015-17, Zonal Secretary in Tamilnadu Mines Safety Association - Chennai zone, MEAI National Council Member (co-opted) 2017-19

Address: No.121A, Sri Krishna Nagar, Numbal village, Iyyapanthangal, Chennai – 77

Contribution: As Vice-Chairman / Chairman of Tamilnaud Chapter during 2014-17, got Award from MEAI for enrolling maximum membership in Tamilnadu. Organised MINEFEST 2014 and MINEFEST 2017 National events and generated fund. Mentor and facilitator for blue metal quarry owners of Tamilnadu.



B.R.V. Susheel KumarDirector of Mines & Geology, Telangana State

Education Qualifications: B.E.(Mining)

Achievements: Published five Papers on Investment Opportunities in A.P. in Mining Sector.

Trainings Undergone: 4 months full time Intensive Training Program conducted by IIM, Ahmedabad on Implementation of Information Technology.

Participated in International Fairs: Iran - World Mining Congress (2005); Canada - PDAC (2010); Italy-Verona Granite Expo Exhibition (2011), China -Granite International Fair (2012); Australia- MINING 2017

Conducted: Mining Today 2018, International Conference-cum-Exhibition at Hyderabad

Preparation of State Amendments: In light of new State of Telangana and MMDR Amendment Act 2015, the State Govt. duly considering priorities for development of mineral sector in the State. Amendments proposed are State Mineral Policy, establishment of District Mineral Foundation Trust, and DMF Rules, State Mineral Exploration Trust, Rules for (31) Major Minerals declared as Minor Minerals etc., and other State related policies

Letters of Appreciation: • Ministry ofMines (MoM), Govt. of India (GoI) issued

Commendation for contribution towards framing of Amendment of Auction Rules 2017, Star Rating for minor minerals & Draft National Mineral Policy 2018.

• MoM,GoIgivenAppreciationforcontributioninframingof Sand Mining Framework.

• MoM, GoI commended for framing of MM (D&R)Amendment Act 2015, DMF, NMET and SMET, GCDR 2016.

• MoM, GoI appreciated for organizing Mining Today2018.

• Minister of Mines & Geology,Telangana appreciatedfor excellent and extravagantly organizing Mining Today 2018

• Govt. of Telangana Commended on 04.06.2018 foroutstanding performance in spearheading achievement of Targets, introducing pronounced Sand Policy in the Country, Implementation of IT in the Dept., Policy Initiatives and overall mineral sector development in the State.

Dr. Pradeep K Singh

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh is Director, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR), Dhanbad. He has studied from Pre-University to Post Graduate level at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, and did his Doctor of Engineering Degree from the Technical University, Clausthal, Germany. He has also worked

at Lossande Institute of Geosciences, University of Toronto, Canada, as Post Doctoral Fellow. He joined CSIR-CIMFR in 1990 as Scientist ‘B’ and by virtue of his hard work and dedication, rose to the present coveted post of Director.

Dr. Singh has made notable contributions in Explosive Science and Blasting Technologies to solve practical problems in the mining industry encompassing the fields of optimal use of explosive energy in rock fragmentation, explosive energy partitioning, blast vibration, wall-control, fragmentation control, blast design in mines and tunnels, pre-split blast design, cast blast designs in coal mining operations besides correlating structural damages caused due to blast vibrations.

He has authored a blast damage index for underground openings in close vicinity of open-cast blasting operations for Indian coal mines. Based on this study, the Mine Regulatory Authority in India (Directorate General of Mines Safety) has issued a mandatory guideline (circular No. 06; dated 28.05.2007) on "Damage of below ground structures due to blast induced vibration in nearby opencast mines" for implementation in mines. He has also authored 4 more guidelines, which have been internationally accepted.

Presently, Dr Singh is coordinating many research activities of the institute in field of fuel and energy science. Based on scientific studies sponsored by different organizations, Dr. Singh has written 311 technical reports and 9 S&T reports funded by Ministry of Coal, Government of India. He has 152 papers published in referred National and International Journals/ Symposia to his credit. He is also author of 4 books and 4 booklets.

Dr. Singh is recipient of prestigious National Mineral Award, Raman Research Award and CSIR Technology Award for Business Development and Technology Marketing – 2017. He is a Fellow of German Academy.



Deepak GuptaFormer Deputy Director-General of Mines SafetyDirector – Corporate Affairs, Fomento Resources Private Limited

Mr Deepak Gupta obtained his Mining Engineering degree from the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. He was over 44 years of experience in mining both in project development, operations and as Regulator. He is holder of Manager’s Cer-tificate of Competency for Coal and Non-coal mines.

He visited Netherlands and Germany on ILO fellowship on Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces. The Govern-ment of India nominated him as Country Expert for a Meet-ing of Experts on Safety and Health in underground Coal Mines convened by the International Labour Organization in Geneva in the Year 2006, to draft a Code of Practice.

He is a Qualified trainer for HAZOP studies. He has worked in Public Sector, Government (on Regulatory side) and now in Private Sector Mining Company, gaining insight in to whole spectrum of mining culture in India and overseas having travelled extensively to Six of the Seven Continents appraising opportunities in minerals and mining sector.

He presented several studies in National and International Seminars, Workshops and Conferences, some of which subsequently became the basis for formulation of Govern-ment Policy and legislative action.

Kolli Umamaheswara Rao (K.U. Rao) Mobile: 9849177677, 040-23370706Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Mr. K.U. Rao was born on January 2, 1945. He has a Diploma in Mining Engineering with Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency issued by DGMS. He is a Certificate holder in handling explosives and “Advanced Rock Blasting Technique” issued by Nitro Nobel A. B Sweden.

He worked in Coal, Limestone, Bauxite, Granite, Clay Mines in the state of Andhra Pradesh and other states for over 12 years. He worked with erstwhile IDL Industries, now Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd, a multinational company, for over 25 years in various capacities in marketing of explosives and related branches. He retired in the year 2003 as Business Manager in-charge of South India & Goa.

During his tenure in Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. He was responsible for the entire process relating to marketing explosive materials besides extending technical expertise to the mining industry in the application of various types of explosives depending upon the prevailing ground conditions. He is associated with the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and managing for the last 5 Years of Carrying and Forwarding Agents for Servo Lubricants in Andhra Pradesh, taking care of inventory, Loading, and Unloading operations, catering the needs of different institutional and automotive customers as per the guidelines / policies of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. He is Member of MGMI of India, Member of International Society of Explosives Engineers, USA, National Council Member of Mining Engineering Association of India, Joint Secretary cum Treasurer of MEAI- Hyderabad and Secretary to Lions Club of Hyderabad, Khairatabad.



MEAI-Service Excellence Award &MEAI- Special Award for Launching/ Reviving Kolkata Chapter

T.N. Gunaseelan

Mr. Gunaseelan is a graduate in mining engineering from IIT-BHU, India and holds First Class Mine Manager’s certificate of competency. He has 31 years of experience in mineral industry. After a decade of experience in mining and ferro alloys at Tata Steel, he co-founded SRG, a Mining consulting organization in 1998. Today, the organization is grown and now part of worldwide DMT Group involved in exploration, engineering and consulting. He also co-founded DMT Indonesia and DMT South Africa and is on the Board of DMT UK.

During his career, he has worked as project director / manager / team member on numerous assignments including exploration, modeling, due diligence and feasibility studies on various minerals and solid fuels such as iron ore, coal, gold, manganese, copper, chromite, limestone, dolomite, rock phosphate etc in various projects in all the inhabited continents of the World. He has travelled widely over 30 countries on overseas projects.

Gunaseelan is a recipient of Eminent Engineer (Mining) Award from Institution of Engineers (India) in 2015; Young Achiever’s Award from IIT-BHU Alumni in 2015; Mining & Entrepreneur Award from Department of Mining Engineering, IIT-BHU in 2014.

Dr P.V. Rao

Soon after the award of M. Sc Tech degree with Distinction in Applied Geology in 1975, Mr PV Rao got appointment in ONGC and PPCL, though he preferred to join the later. He subsequently migrated to Hindustan Copper Ltd to serve for a decade and then to Tata Steel for two decades. He received specialized training in Geostatistics and Mathematical Morphology from IIT, Kharagpur in 1984-89, during his Research Work leading to award of Ph.D. He has the singular distinction of introducing Computerized mine planning in India in 1989.

Dr Rao was Head of Mine Planning, OMQ and Chief of Geological Services of Tata Steel before he decided to become independent in 2005. After that he held several senior management positons viz. Director Exploration in DR Congo, Director and Partner of SRG Consulting Services- India, C&MD of Mincon Indo Resources - Indonesia, Senior Mining Advisor of Curvcap Ventures Ltd- UK and Senior Associate of Behre Dolbear International Ltd, London. He was appointed as Honorary Professor of Geology for two years in 2015 by Andhra University. He is specialized in conducting Technical Due Diligence, Computerized deposit modeling, Mine planning and scheduling, Estimation, Classification and Public Reporting of Mineral Resources and Reserves to promote international private investments in exploration and mining. His consultancy services covered minerals from diverse geologic environments, including heavy mineral beach sands, iron ore, chrome ore, manganese ore, phosphorite, limestone, dolomite, magnesite, copper, cobalt, barytes and quartz; and coal deposits, stretching over Asia, Europe, Africa and Americas.

He was Honorary Secretary in 1995-97 and National Council member of MEAI for a decade. He is recognized as one of the two National Coordinators of the ensuing 36th IGC, 2020 for the theme ‘Advances in Mineral Resource Evaluation and Mine planning’. He is an Honorary representative of CRIRSCO in India, member of AusIMM and life member of MEAI & SGAT, and Editor of MEJ.



meai annual awards

MEAI-Sitaram Rungta Memorial Award

A K GargBE (Mining), FCC (Coal)Diploma in Env & Ecology from DelhiRecipient of National Safety award from Hon’ble President of India.

Mr AK Garg passed out from MBM Engineering college, Jodhpur with BE (Mining) in 1985. Later on did Diploma in Env & Ecology, FCC(coal). I also got National Safety award from President of India Dr Pranab Mukherji sir. I am also recipient of Bala Tondon award 2 years back.

He joined Coal India Limited in 1985 and served in differ-ent capacities in Underground as well as Opencast Mines. Thereafter he joined GMDC in 1997 and working at present as General Manager. In GMDC, he worked in all the Lignite Projects as Project Manager. Further it was a matter of pride that he was also given additional charge of Power Project in GMDC for about 3 years.

MEAI-NMDC Award

Dr. S.K. Chaulya

Dr. S.K. Chaulya has been working as a Scientist since 1993 at CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR). His fields of research include design and development of monitoring, control, automation and communication systems for mines; air pollution modeling and management; reclamation of oberburden dumps and utilisation of mine wastes. He has completed B.Tech. in 1991 from NIT-Karnataka, M.Tech in 1993 and Ph.D in 1997 from IIT-BHU in Mining Engineering. He has worked on 14 S&T projects sponsored by different ministries of Government of India and World Bank. In addition to these he has worked on around 80 research projects sponsored by central and state governments of India, and various public and private sectors. He has also won various awards, namely (i) Whitaker Golden Jubilee Award 1997, (ii) Research Paper Publication Awards 2000 to 2007, and (iii) Award for Filing Patents 2003 to 2008 by CSIR-CIMFR. He is also a member of Editorial Board of 3 journals and reviewer for around 24 international journals.


MEAI- Abheraj Baldota Memorial Gold Medal Award (Mining Engineer of the year)

Dr S. C. JainMob: +91-9413763980E-Mail: [email protected]

Dr. S.C. Jain is presently Asso-ciate Professor and Head, De-partment of Mining Engineering, College of Technology and Engi-neering, Mahrana Pratap Univer-sity of Agriculture and Technolo-gy, Udaipur. He has outstanding contribution in the field of Mining

Technology for improvement in production, productivity, pro-tection of environment and mineral conservation in small-scale mining areas through his research contribution.

Dr Jain presented his research work at National & Interna-tional level through seminars, symposia and workshops and published 65 technical papers. Visited Bangkok in 2009 and Perth, Australia 2010 to present papers in international con-ference. He is co-author of two books, edited four books and prepared two lab manuals. Also worked as member, edito-rial board of three proceedings.

Dr Jain was associated in carrying out R & D work with Inter-national Marble Institute (IS.I.M), Napoli, Italy and Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS), Jaipur during years 2005-06 to 2014-15. He provided technical guidance in setting and development of “Stone Test House” at CDOS, Jaipur.

He has also rendered meritorious services by working as Organizing Secretary/ Joint organizing secretary / member in organizing committee in conducting number of seminars/ workshops organized by MEAI and other professional bod-ies. He has been associated with the industry by solving their problems through consultancy research work and pro-vided 24 technical research consultancy services related to Scientific Studies.

He was elected Joint Secretary Cum Treasurer of Rajast-han Chapter-Udaipur from 2012-16. Dr. Jain is proud recipi-ent of “Sitaram Rungta Memorial Award” for 2009-10 for the best Technical Paper Presentation, “MEAI-SRG Information Technology Award” for 2013-14 for significant contribution in I.T. in Mining and Mineral Industries, and ‘MEAI-Membership Development Award’ for 2014-15.

MEAI- Abheraj Baldota Memorial Gold Medal Award (Young Mining Engineer of the year)

Akhil AvcharMob: +91-9405186309E-Mail: [email protected]

Born in 1984, Er. Akhil Avchar is a mining graduate from College of Technology and Engineering (MPUAT) Udaipur in 2007 and Masters in mining engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 2009. He is pursuing doctoral research work at IIT (ISM), Dhanbad since

2015. He has Second Class Mine Manager’s Competency Certificate issued from DGMS, Dhanbad, Gas testing certificate issued from IIT Kharagpur.

After completion of M.Tech degree, he had joined ACC cement as management trainee and successively promoted to managerial capacities. In ACC, he served primarily at Chanda Cement Works (Chandrapur, Maharashtra) and visited Kymore Cement plant (Kymore, M.P), Wadi Cement plant (Gulbarga, Karnataka), Jamul Cement plant (Raipur, Chaittisgarh), Throdebhavi grinding unit (Banglore, Karnataka) and Technical Support system (Thane, Maharashtra) on different assignments.

He was Deputy Manger Mine planning in Tubed Coal mines (A joint venture of Tata Power and Hindalco Ind.). He served as Assistant Professor, participated in establishing mining engineering department at Goa College of Engineering (Ponda, Goa); Government Engineering College (Bhuj, Gujarat) and presently faculty in College of Technology and Engineering (Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology), Udaipur Rajasthan. He has served as Board of Study member for Goa University. He published three research papers in International Journals based on his doctoral research work.

He has industry experience of three and half years including both metal and coal mining. Teaching experience of about six years in different government engineering colleges. He is a life member of MEAI and he is actively participating in national seminars, conferences and workshops organised by Goa and Udaipur chapters.

meai annual awards


MEAI- Smt. Gullapalli Sarala Devi Memorial Award (Lifetime achievment by a mining engineer)

K. LaxminarayanaMr Laxminarayana was born on 10th January 1961 in a village in Telangana state. He was gradu-ated in Mining Engineering from Osmania University in 1984. He obtained Post Graduate degree in Ecology and Environment from IGNOU, New Delhi in 1989 and secured top rank in India. He served for 34 years in the Singareni Collieries Company

Limited (SCCL).

He is “Self –made” inspiring personality having joined in SCCL as Mining Graduate Trainee on 14.09.2014, served in various capacities and rose in ranks from Under Manager to the present General Manager, at Yellandu Area.

As Dy. General Manager of Human Resources Develop-ment (HRD) Department, Mr Laxminarayana translated Coal Mines Regulation 1957 into Telugu version and received ap-preciation from the then Chairman & Managing Director, Mr. A.P.V.N. Sharma, IAS. He was instrumental in writing support men, Coal Cutter, Coal Filler guides in Telugu and also Trammer, Hauler operators ‘KARADEEPIKA’. He was also pivot in writing about different types of gases and their precautionary measures in underground mines and got ap-preciation from Mr. M.K. Benjamin the then Director (Proj-ect Planning). He received appreciation letters form Mr. P. Chandrakanth Sharma, Chief General Manager ( HRD) for rendering excellent services while working in HRD.

He received appreciation from Mr. R.H. Khwaza, IAS, the then Chairman & Managing Director for producing the Telefilm “SURYODAYAN”, an innovative approach highlight-ing the need for productive work culture in SCCL.

He established MEAI-Singareni Chapter and also opened IEI (India) Kothagudem local Centre. He was chosen for the “MEAI-Abheraj Baldata Memorial Gold Medal Award” for the year 2016-17 (Mining Engineer of the year). He received Rastreeya Gowrav award from India International Friend-ship Society, New Delhi on 12.5.2016. He was selected as ‘Best Engineer” and felicitated on 15.9.2017 by Telangana State Government. He was selected for “MEAI-Smt. Gulla-palli Sarala Devi Memorial Award” (Lifetime achievement by a Mining Engineer) for the year 2017.

MEAI-Master Tanay Chadha Memorial Geologist Award

Sunil Kumar VashisthMob: +91-9829059236;

Mr Vashisth is presently working as an Assoc. General Manager (Geology) & leading Hindustan Zinc Limited’s (HZL) Strategic Business Development Group.

Mr. Vashisth has meritorious achievement in academics and professional equally with several outstanding contributions in the

field of Exploration (both Brown-fields as well as Green-fields spreading over 3 decades in Hindustan Zinc Limited (1991-2018), Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd, (1989-91).

He has significantly contributed to HZL’s phenomenal growth post disinvestment in their highly mechanized Underground Metal-Mining Operations through introduction of high-speed & deeper exploration leading to organic growth of > 3x in HZL’s in-situ R&R Portfolio; Short & Long-Term mine-plan-ning and successful adaption of latest Technology in Explo-ration & Mining operations for improvement in Production, Grade forecasting process & Dilution Control measures, protection of Environment & Mineral Conservation areas through innovative contributions & numerous Productivity enhancement initiatives with regular awards & apprecia-tion for such contribution from HZL. He is currently heading HZL’s tenement management also.

He has presented his research work at various National lev-el Seminars, Symposia, Trade-shows and workshops and published 7 technical papers. Upon invitation from Govt of Nepal, he visited for assessment of its base metal assets for exploration/ exploitation potential. He is on panel of several universities & central & State government bodies like GSI, DMGs for imparting regular lectures & assessment process as well.

He has also rendered meritorious services by working as Jt organizing secretary / executive member in organizing committees in conducting number of seminars/ workshops organized across India under the banner of IGC, GSR, GSI, MEAI, ISTD and other allied professional bodies success-fully.

Mr. Vashisth has been a Recipient of Ratandevi Choudhary memorial research fellowship for carrying out applied re-search in evaluation of economic mineral resources during his doctoral work on Evaluation of Deri-Ambaji basemetal deposits of Rajasthan & Gujarat.

meai annual awards


MEAI-Eco-friendly Mining Award

Suryanshu Choudhury

Mr. Suryanshu Choudhury is basically a Mining Engineer from IIT, Kharagpur and completed MBA in Operations Management from Welingkar Institute, Mumbai. He was top-per in M.Tech (Mining) from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2004 ranked 12 in GATE 2001.

He is having 15 years of rich experience in the areas of Mine Optimization, Mining Intelligence, Mine planning and design, Mine scheduling, Resource estimation and development of corporate mining strategy. Presently he is associated with AMBUJA CEMENTS LTD (A LAFARGE-HOLCIM GROUP) in Corporate Mineral Resources Dept. at Mumbai. Prior to present assignment, he worked for 6 years on base metal deposits in Africa and for 3.5 years in Surpac Software Inter-national (Now, Geovia of Dassault system) at Hyderabad.

Add to his credit, he has published/ presented around 30 technical papers in International/ National Journals, sympo-siums/ seminars etc. Very recently, he received Prof. H. R. Anireddy award for Mining Engineering from IME Journal.

He is also a visiting faculty to Mining Engineering depart-ment of National institute of Technology at Rourkela, NIT- Suratkal, and Orissa School of Mining Engineering at Ke-onjhar.

MEAI- SCCL Coal Award Mining Engineer

Matchagiri NarendarDy. General Manager (Mining), AMIE (Min), FMMC, MBA (Fin)

Mr. Narendar worked for 31 years in various Positions in the Company i.e. Overman, Under Manager in Conventional Mining and Blasting, Gallery Method in Underground Mine. Worked Asst. Manager, Colliery Manager and Agent in vari-ous opencast mines having Dragline & Shovel –Dumper combination, including Underground converted into Open-cast mine. Worked as Technical Assistant to CEO of SCCL Company.

Specific Achievements in 2017-18 as a Project Officer (Agent) of Medapalli Opencast Mine, Ramagundam area -1: Achieved 45.69 LT of coal production against the target of 40.9 Lt, stood at 112%. Highest Record in the History of Mine (23 years). Dispatched 52.67 Lt of coal by clear-ing 6.30 Lt book stock. Achieved highest ever dispatch since inception. Highest Record in the History of Mine (23 years). Achieved single day produced 27, 370 tonnes and dispatched of 28,261 tonne. Highest Record in the History of Mine (23 years). Increased the profits to Rs 653.35 Crore, which is highest in any single mine in the Company in cur-rent financial year 2017-18. Last year it was Rs 179.90 Crore. Achieved Highest OMS of 26.38 tonnes. Commenced High Wall Mining Operations on 18.08.2017 after a gap of two years.

Improvement in Safety: Achieved Zero Accident Potential (ZAP) in 2017-18. Implemented and continuing the wearing of Radium Jackets round the clock by all ground mounted employees in the Quarry in view of safety of the persons. First mine practiced in the Company. Laid, maintaining and using separate road for Light Vehicles in the quarry in view of safety. Fixed 60 Prisms on highwall of final benches and monitoring slope stability total highwall in the quarry.

meai annual awards


MEAI- Special Award for launching/reviving a Chapter

Arun K SharmaChairman, Veraval – Porbandar Chapter

Mr. Arun K Sharma is a mining graduate, FCC, and MBA with dual specialization. He also completed Senior level management program at IIM – Ahmedabad and IMD – Swit-zerland.

He has more than 28 years of experience in the cement in-dustry and specifically limestone mining in India and abroad. He has extensively travelled to various countries of South East Asia Middle East Asia, Africa and Europe region and shared the mutual beneficial experience with the mining community of these parts of the world.

During his tenure, he has worked with various leading In-dian companies viz. – TATA, BINANI and AMBUJA. He has also completed the overseas job assignment with one of the cement majors of East Africa as country head and briefly worked in steel sector in India and headed the mines and plant operation of Lloyds group. Presently working as Sr. Vice President with Ambuja Cement Ltd.

Also played an active role in CSR activities to the stake-holders in and around mining communities in the state of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan and specially contrib-uted to the skill development, education, health, and water conservation.

Played an important role since the inception of the Veraval - Porbandar chapter 25 years ago is the founder member of the Chapter, revived the chapter from dormant position, and made this Chapter vibrant for the benefit of the members of this chapter.

meai annual awards

MEAI- SCCL Coal AwardMechanical Engineer

Jonnalagadda ChristopherBhadradri, Kothagudem Dist., Telangana

Mr. Christopher is currently working as SE (E&M), in-charge Engineer of coal handling plant, Wharf loading platform, Yel-landu. He received Rs One lakh cash reward thrice from C&MD for dispatching all time highest rakes from CHP, Yel-landu in the months of December 2017, January 2108 and March 2018.

He also received appreciation from General Manager, Yel-landu for dispatching 936 rakes in the year 2017-18, which is an all-time record; and from ED (coal movement) for dis-patching 115 rakes in March 2018, which is again an all-time monthly dispatch record. He was involved in old bunkers dismantling works in 2016 for minimizing railway shunting charges and saving Rs 15 cr per annum.


SME NEWSTHE MINING ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (MEAI) SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH THE SOCIETY FOR MINING, METALLURGY, AND ExPLORATION (SME) FOR MUTUAL BENEFIT OF THE MEMBERS OF BOTH THE PROFESSIONAL ORGANIzATIONSBy Dr. Abani R Samal, Principal, GeoGlobal, USAEmail: [email protected] Mining Engineers’ Association of India (MEAI) MEAI is the leading professional body representing mineral indus-try professionals in India. MEAI has been in the service of the nation for more than 50 years. The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) is one of the most in-ternationally recognized professional societies in the mining industry with membership exceeding 13,000 worldwide. The SME recognizes the Mining Engineers Association of India (MEAI) as a prominent professional organization for the mining industry in India with nearly 5,000 professional mem-bers. The SME is expanding its footprint in South America and other parts of the world. Currently, SME has 70 individ-ual members in India as well as four student chapters at the following academic institutions: Indian Institute of Technol-ogy (ISM) Dhanbad (formerly India School of Mines), Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Indian Institute of Tech-nology (BHU) Varanasi (formerly Banaras Hindu University) and University of Petroleum &Energy Studies, Dehradun.

Keeping the future of the mining industry in both USA and In-dia in consideration a meeting between high level delegates of SME and MEAI was conceptualized, coordinated and or-ganized by Dr Abani Samal (Life member of MEAI since 1997 and a registered member of SME) during SME Conference in February 2016. The MEAI was led by its elected president Mr T Victor, who traveled to USA in February 2016 to renew the collaboration with SME for a strategic long-term benefit of both professional organizations and industry as a whole. Dr. PV Rao (Editor of MEJ and past Honorary Secretary of MEAI) and Dr. Abani Samal were the other team members of MEAI. The SME delegation was led by Dave Kanagy (Ex-ecutive director) and represented by Steve Gardner (past President of SME 2015-16), Tim Arnold (President of SME 2016-17), John Mansanti (President of SME, 2017-18). The meeting was also attended by other prominent SME mem-bers such as Dr Madan Singh, Dr Manoj Mohanty and Dr Harry Parker (Past Chair of CRIRSCO and a Co-Chair of the SME’s Resource Reserve Committee).

Following this meeting various rounds of discussions and presentations were held between both sides. Notable, Dr Samal presented to the BoD of SME during the midyear meeting held in Las Vegas in September 2016. Later a high level meeting was held between leadership of SME and MEAI during SME annual conference at Denver in February

2017 leading to final drafting of the agreement. Dr Abani Samal coordinated the meeting. Prof A Srikant represented the MEAI council in the meeting. Mr Dave Kanagy, Mr John Mansanti and Barbara Arnold (incoming president of SME) were present at this meeting.

While MEAI is looking at this opportunity to enhance its inter-national profile, the SME sees this as an opportunity to ex-pand brand awareness in India. SME and MEAI will explore possibilities of collaborating on joint technical programming in India. In this background, SME and MEAI agreed to es-tablish a strategic partnership between SME and MEAI for mutual benefits and signed a joint agreement on 1st June 2017. Mr T Victor, Mr Arun Kothari and Dr PV Rao are sig-natories on behalf of MEAI, and Mr John Mansanti and Mr Dave Kanagy signed the document from SME side. Upon activation of this agreement, the MEAI members can now access the Mining Engineering magazine, and SME eNews, a bi-monthly electronic newsletter. The MEAI members will also have an opportunity to collaborate and interact with SME members through the ‘SME Community’. Additionally, the MEAI members can also avail the member pricing for conferences, webinars and books. The MEAI will explore possibility of partnership with SME in designing and host-ing large scale expositions & high level technical conference in India. Potentially this agreement will lead MEAI towards becoming the leading professional organization for mining industry professionals in SE Asia.

Thanking the SME leadership for ‘renewing the relationship between the two professional bodies’, Mr T Victor wrote: ‘A historical event has taken place on this day, the 1st June 2017’. Mr Dave Kanagy responded: ‘I’m also very pleased that we were able to find a working relationship that begins a new relationship between MEAI and SME. The new agree-ment gives us a foundation to continue to work together and find common ground to support the professionals in the min-ing industry in all aspects of their careers.’

L to R: Dr Abani Samal, Dr PV Rao, Mr Tim Arnold, Mr Steve Gardner, Prof. Manoj Mohanty, Dr Madan Singh, Mr T Victor and Dave Kanagy. Delegates of SME and MEAI that participated in the discussion on strategic partnership for mutual growth and benefit of their members in February 2016

international initiatiVes


RECORD NOTES OF MEETING BETWEEN MEAI AND SME

MEAI-SME meeting was held in Hotel Golkonda, Hyderabad, India, on August 23, 2017 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

The following dignitaries represented MEAI and SME in the meeting.

SMEJohn G. Mansanti, President-SMEDavid L. Kanagy, Executive Director-SME

MEAIT Victor, President (2015-17) –MEAIDr PV Rao, Editor, MEJ-MEAIBRV Susheel Kumar, Chairman, Hyderabad ChapterVS Rao, Past President -MEAIM Fasihuddin, Past President-MEAIKK Biran, Past President-MEAITV Chowdary, Past President-MEAIAK Gupta, Jt.Secretary cum Treasurer-MEAIDr DA Hiremath, Council Member-MEAIS Kumaraswamy, Council Member-MEAIKU Rao, Council Member-MEAIKS Rao, Senior Member-MEAIDr H Sarvothaman, Former Editor, MEJ-MEAI

Mr T Victor, while welcoming the SME guests, formally introduced Mr John Mansanti and Mr David Kanagy to the MEAI members present. In his welcome address, Mr Victor briefly explained the background of the Joint Agreement signed between MEAI and SME on June 1, 2017. He expressed special gratitude to Mr David Kanagy for the important role played by him in negotiating and finalizing the Joint Agreement.

Mr Victor recalled the all-important role played by Dr Abani Samal, USA in linking the SME and MEAI from arranging the first meeting with SME in February 2016, and thereafter in strengthening this relationship leading to signing a joint agreement by SME and MEAI.

Dr Rao introduced the MEAI luminaries present in the meeting by giving a brief about their valuable contribution to the MEAI and the mining industry, individually to the SME guests. Among the Past Presidents present, Mr Fasihuddin had met SME leaders in USA in 1996 and signed an MOU, which lead to Affiliate membership of SME to MEAI

members. Subsequently, past presidents Mr KK Biran, Mr TV Chowdary and Dr Meda Venkatiah had also met SME leaders in USA to strengthen the relationship, he explained.

Mr T Victor elucidated the following salient points from the Joint Agreement 2017:

• Through this agreement, an ‘Association-levelMembership’ to MEAI with SME has been established. This is a new membership category conceived by SME exclusively to accommodate relationship with MEAI. This may become a ‘model’ for SME to enlarge its footprints in other parts of the world. SME will provide the following benefits to MEAI members :

- Online access to its Mining Engineering magazine

- Member price for conferences, webinars and books

- Access to the SME online community - eNews - Use of the SME logo at mutually agreed upon

MEAI events - In addition, SME will offer complementary

registration in the SME Annual Conference & Expo for two MEAI leaders (President and one of the three Vice Presidents). These leaders will be invited to attend the open SME Board of Directors Meeting & Luncheon held during the annual conference.

- SME welcomes to discuss joint technical programming with MEAI in India.

After clarifying the salient features of the agreement, Mr T Victor presented the ‘Short term’ and ‘Long term’ plans of MEAI proposed for implementation in association with SME

- MEAI would like to avail SME expertise in setting up suitable IT environment in MEAI Head Quarter for effective management of Membership Services and Administrative purposes.

- MEAI is working on prospects of organizing at least one International event during early part of 2018. The feasibility of SME’s support and association to be further discussed.

- MEAI is eager to organize, a joint technical program - a Conference with Expo – under the guidance and Branding of SME in India, some time during later part of 2018 or early 2019. To establish this joint program as a regular feature, every year in India.

- In future, MEAI wishes to be a part of the international group of professional societies, which will enable MEAI members to access world’s largest online digital library ‘OneMine.org’


for the professional development of the mining industry professionals in India.

- MEAI’s long-term goal is to emerge as international level professional organization and attain the leadership role in SE Asia mining.

Address by Mr John Mansanti, President-SMEMr John Mansanti at the outset thanked the leaders of MEAI for extending this delightful hospitality. He appreciated the leadership of Mr T Victor in erecting the mutually beneficial relationship with SME. SME is one of the internationally recognized professional societies in the mining industry with membership exceeding 13,000 worldwide. SME considers the partnership with MEAI as an opportunity for SME to expand its brand awareness in India. He looks forward to work with the leaders of MEAI to achieve the common goals of both the Societies.

Address by Mr David Kanagy, Executive Director-SMEMr David Kanagy expressed his pleasure to meet the MEAI leaders. SME and MEAI signing the Joint Agreement is indeed an historical event to both the societies, he said. He felt abundant satisfaction in negotiating and finalizing the agreement with Mr Victor, which is a milestone achievement for both SME and MEAI. He recognized Dr Abani’s extraordinary contribution in developing this partnership between SME and MEAI into a reality. The offering of Association level Membership to MEAI members is just a beginning and there is great opportunity for both societies to gain in future.

Mr David briefly explained about SME’s Vision, Mission, Core Values and its Goals. He explained about SME’s Membership details, Local Sections, Student Chapters and its publications. There is great deal of opportunities for professional engineers in the mining industry world over, he said. He was looking forward to work with MEAI leaders for mutual benefit in future, he concluded.

Interaction by MEAI Leaders

1. Mr Susheel Kumar, shared brief details of the proposed MEAI’s International Conference on 15-17 February 2018, at Hyderabad. Mr Victor proposed to Mr David to examine the possibility of SME’s participation in this event. Mr David felt that the conference dates proposed by MEAI are just a week before the SME’s Annual Meet in 2018 and hence may be difficult for SME to join. However, he promised to examine the possibility and communicate.

2. Mr VS Rao suggested that whatever benefit offered under the Association level Membership should be extended to the Life Members and the Fellow Members of MEAI. Mr Victor clarified that all Fellow members of MEAI have to be life members of MEAI and hence the

Life Membership details of MEAI have already been furnished to SME.

3. Mr TV Chowdary pointed out that in the agreement it was mentioned that the President and one of the three Vice Presidents of MEAI would be offered free registration to the SME Annual Conference. In lieu of this provision, SME may consider extending this invitation to any two members of MEAI who can attend but nominated by the MEAI President. Mr David confirmed that such a request could be considered favorably by SME on specific request from MEAI.

(R to L) Mr John Mansanti, Mr T Victor, Mr David Kanagy and Dr PV Rao

(L to R): Mr VS Rao, Mr TV Chowdary, Mr AK Gupta, Mr KU Rao,DR H Sarvothaman and Mr KS Rao

MEAI leaders with SME President Mr John and Executive Director Mr Dave

4. Mr M Fasihuddin suggested that SME might consider ‘Students’ Exchange Program’ and offer scholarship to students seeking higher studies in USA in mining and geoscience disciplines. Mr David clarified that SME’s website contains details of all such facilities which are offered by SME.


5. Mr T Victor requested Mr David to clarify on whether by virtue of the Association level Membership to MEAI, the MEAI members can pronounce themselves as ‘Members of SME’. Mr David confirmed that MEAI members could be Members of SME and that SME need to work out and create a ‘new membership category’ in SME. Mr David agreed with Dr Rao’s suggestion that when the task is accomplished, SME will have to allot specific individual membership number to each MEAI member.

6. Dr Rao informed that MEAI has paid USD 2,000 for association level membership of SME for this year and this will be reviewed after two years. Depending on the membership strength, the annual fee will be decided.

Vote of thanksDr Rao proposed vote of thanks to esteemed SME guests Mr John and Mr David for their cooperation in adjusting their busy schedule in India and attend this collaborative meeting. He profusely thanked the past Presidents, Council members and leaders of MEAI present in the meeting for their attendance, unstinted support and valuable interaction. He thanked Dr Abani, in absentia, for his invaluable contribution to fructify this expedient relationship between SME and MEAI into a reality. He amply thanked Mr Susheel Kumar for hosting the meeting in Hotel Golkonda and extending hospitality to all our guests on behalf of MEAI Hyderabad Chapter.

The meeting ended with cocktail and dinner.

T VictorPresident – MEAI (2015-17)

CRIRSCO NEWSHIGHLIGHTS OF THE CRIRSCO ANNUAL MEETING-2017The 11th annual meeting of the Committee for Mineral Re-serves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO) was held at Jogjakarta, Indonesia, from 29 to 31 October 2017. The meeting was hosted by KOMBERS (the KCMI Joint Committee), which is a committee of The Indonesian Soci-ety of Geologists (IAGI) and The Association of Indonesian Mining Professionals (PERHAPI). The Society of Economic Geologists (MGEI), a society of IAGI, handled much of the organisation of the Annual meeting.

NRO representatives from the Australasia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Europe, Mongolia, South Africa and United States of America attended the meeting. Representatives from Ka-zakhstan and Russia could not join the meeting. The CRIR-SCO representatives from Latin America and India and ob-servers from Indonesia participated in the Annual meeting except the ‘members only’ part of the meeting. Dr Abani Sa-mal and Dr PV Rao represented the NACRI from India. On 29th October, Dr Samal and Dr Rao presented a concise re-port on the progress made by NACRI, India during the year 2017. The CRIRSCO attendees acknowledged the remark-able progress made by NACRI in India. Again, a 30 min-utes time slot was given to the Indian representatives for a detailed presentation on 31st October 2017. Dr Abani Samal and Dr PV Rao jointly made the presentation. The following core questions raised by the attendees were clarified:

1) NACRI represents the mining industry of India: It was clarified through Q&A session that the NACRI members come from all geographical parts of the country and represent the mineral industry, academicians and professional organizations in India. CRIRSCO Executive stressed that the NACRI shall remain an independent and all-inclusive body.

2) MEAI’s support and cooperation was acknowledged.

3) Dr Harry Parker elaborated on the discussions held with MGMI on 27th October at Kolkata. He stressed on the need for professional development programs in India.

4) After the approval of the IMIG code by CRIRSCO members, the NACRI will make an application to join the CRIRSCO.

It was recognized that as the role of CRIRSCO is increasing, so is its financial burden. Therefore, the CRIRSCO members unanimously decided that all existing and new members of CRIRSCO would have to pay an annual fee of approximately USD 2000, plus airfare and accommodation charges for two members to attend the CRIRSCO annual meeting. In light of this requirement, the NACRI has to come-up with ‘ways’ and ‘means’ to fund the rolling essential activities of NRO. It is expected that the annual fee payment responsibility will be shared equally by the RPOs.


Dr Abani Samal addressing the CRIRSCO members

Dr. P.V. Rao addressing the CRIRSCO members

It should be noted that as a potential future member of CRIRSCO, the NACRI has to think about hosting regular professional training sessions through MEAI, MGMI and Geological Society of India in all mining districts of India. The Registered Competent Person has to undergo a mini-mum (40 hours) of professional training annually to become eligible for registration as CP and renew.

Observers from Turkey, China, Philippines and Kyrgyzstan also participated in the open session. Turkey and Kyrgyz-stan signed MoU with CRIRSCO to become its members. Indonesia was admitted as 11th member of CRIRSCO and it was celebrated with grandeur in the presence of federal gov-ernment officials and authorities. The Chairperson of CRIR-SCO Mr Ian Goddard wrote ‘The interest from countries all over the world demonstrates the overwhelming commitment to the establishment and maintenance of common stan-dards of high quality for the reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves’.

Dr Abani R Samal & Dr PV Rao

CRIRSCO Workshop cum Training Program to GSI officersTwo-day workshop cum training program on January 5-6, 2018 was organised for Geological Survey of India (GSI) Officers in the Conference hall, MS Krishnan Auditorium, GSI Training Institute (GSITI), Hyderabad. The participants included high ranked senior officers of the rank of Deputy Director General (DDG) to young geologists from all locations of Marine Geology Division of GSI and Senior Officers of Indian Bureau of Mines (GSI), Nagpur.

While Dr S Ravi Iyer, Director, GSITI and Chief Coordinator of the workshop welcomed the faculty and the participants, Mr VK Chittora, DDG & Head M-V inaugurated the program on Jan 5, 2018 and elucidated the necessity and importance of training the geologists on International Mineral Resource Reporting Standards like CRIRSCO. It is encouraging to note that the decision on holding this workshop on CRIRSCO compliant Standards was resultant of a meeting of Senior Officers from GSI and IBM with the officials from of Ministry of Mines on 6-10-2017 held at New Delhi.

The GSI’s in-house faculty (Mr Pradipto Tarafdar, DDG (PSS); Mr M Hari Prasad, DDG (Retd) and Mr AC Dinesh) dealt with the Current scenario, Policies and relevance of UNFC with respect to on-shore and offshore Indian mineral resources. Dr PV Rao, Editor, MEJ and Co-Chair NACRI made convoluted presentations for a full day on the CRIRSCO Template and its relevance to Indian mineral industry; Resource Estimation techniques, Classification and Reporting as per international best practice; progress of CRIRSCO

L to R: Dr PV Rao, Co-Chair NACRI; Mr VK Chittoora, DDG (GSITI); Mr Pradipto Tarafdar, DDG (PSS) addressing the inaugural session


A view of participants in the concluding session of the workshop

initiative in India and path forward; and development of draft Indian Mineral Industry Guide (IMIG). Dr Rao stressed upon the immediate need for India (SEBI, IBM, GSI) to adopt transparent public reporting standard to encourage and attract much needed private investments in mineral exploration and mining. He also emphasized the importance of addressing stakeholders concerns and the role of GSI in appreciating and addressing all aspects of mine value chain to make sure that the resource reports are meaningful, especially in light of the recent mandate given to it to undertake detailed exploration at G2/ G1 levels from the current G4/ G3 levels.

Based on the feedback received from the participants and previous negotiations with its management, the GSI voiced its keen interest in organizing a full-fledged 5-6 day workshop in near future, covering all key aspects of mine value chain but with particular reference to mineral resource estimation, classification and reporting. Similarly, the IBM officers who participated in the workshop also evinced their interest in holding similar program but with greater emphasis on practical geostatistics and CRIRSCO public reporting standards.

ASSOCHAM endorsement to IMIGMr DS Rawat, Secretary General, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), in a letter written on 9th August 2017 to Mr Ian Goddard, Chairperson, CRIRSCO concurred its support to the draft Indian Mineral Industry Guide (IMIG) prepared by the National Core Committee for Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Reserves in India (NACRI).

In his endorsement letter, he wrote, “ASSOCHAM believes that the IMIG will assist the mining industry in India in

preparation of public reports that present information needed by the stakeholders that is material, transparent and prepared by Competent persons that are members of self-regulating professional organizations with enforceable code of ethics. Such reporting will help mineral based and mining companies raising capital from the Indian stock markets and abroad.”

The services of Mr Deepak Rathod, one of the founder members of NACRI, in coordinating with the management ASSOCHAM and getting its endorsement letter to IMIG are highly appreciated.

Presentation on ‘CRIRSCO developments in India’ by Mr Deepak Rathod in ASSOCHAM SummitASSOCHAM had organized with the support of Ministry of Mines and Steel “India Mining Summit –Enabling Policy Framework “on August 04, 2017 in New Delhi. Shri Arun Kumar IAS, Secretary Ministry of Mines Government of India delivered the Inaugural Address at the Conference.

In the inaugural session, the Mines Secretary conceded that there is a need to focus more and speed up exploration; and government is serious to accelerate exploration and address any deficit. The issues related to auction and pricing of blocks were discussed. Government has set itself a target of 100 blocks for auctioning subject to states’ response, as the ministry has identified the most-potential district in the states that have not rolled it out in the desired manner and has deputed GSI and IBM officers to sit in those districts and make out blocks.

The second Session on ‘Technologies and Infrastructure & other concerns’ was moderated by Shri S. Vijay Kumar, distinguished Fellow, TERI. Shri Milon Mukhopadhyay, Co-chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Mines and Minerals, Shri Deepak Rathod, GM (Technical Services), Trimex Sands Pvt Ltd, Shri Indranil Som, Senior Principal (Value Engineering) SAP India, Shri Punnet Narula, General Manager-Equipment Sales, Normet India Pvt. Ltd, Shri Basab Mukhopadhyay, Director (G), Geological Survey of India were the panelists. Important aspects like SDG in the mining sector along with technological advancements in underground mining were deliberated upon in this session.Shri Deepak made a presentation entitled “CRIRSCO initiative in India: It’s benefits and future outlook” on behalf of NACRI that was well received and appreciated by the delegates, and panelists alike. Congratulations to Mr Deepak Rathod.


Presentation by Mr Deepak Rathod

Mr Deepak Rathod (2nd from Left) participating in Panel discussion

CRIRSCO developments in India - presented by Mr Deepak Rathod in Mining Mazma 2017With a view to attract investment and technology in the mining sector besides tapping the country’s rich mineral potentials, FIMI with the support of Ministry of Mines, Government of India has been organising the annual international event “Mining, Exploration, Convention & Trade Show”.

As part of this Annual Event Series, Mining Mazma 2017 was organised from September 14–16, 2017 at Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bangalore (India) in the backdrop of legislative reforms brought by the new government in the recent past. It provides a unique opportunity for various stakeholders involved in the mining value chain- policy makers, exploration agencies, mining companies, regulatory agencies, technologists, economists, investors including foreign companies - for intense deliberations and discussions.

Mines Secretary Mr Arun Kumar inaugurated this international mega event in the august presence of Mr Subhash Chandra Kuntia, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka and other senior officials from State and Central Governments besides dignitaries across the globe.

Technical and Scientific Papers were presented covering policy issues, investors perspective, exploration strategies and role of technology for efficient and safe mining operations. The State Governments of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Maharashtra

Mr Deepak Rathod receivng memento from Mr Ranjan Sahai, CG, IBM

Mr Deepak Rathod seen presenting his paper on CRIRSCO initiatives in India

and Karnataka highlighted the investment opportunities in mineral exploration and mining in their respective states. Senior officials from various countries also participated in the event.

Mr Deepak Rathod made a presentation entitled “CRIRSCO initiatives in India: It’s benefits and way forward” on behalf of NACRI in Technical Session-I “Policy issues and initiatives in Mineral exploration and mining development and financing, Investment potential and opportunities in exploration, mineral beneficiation and mining”. Mr Ranjan Sahai, Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines and Dr Gopal Dhawan, CMD, MECL chaired the session. The presentation was well received and appreciated by the chairpersons, delegates, and panellists.


indian mining dayBARAJAMDA CHAPTERSeminar cum workshop on the “Role of International Resource Reserve Reporting codes/ guidelines in Sus-tainable Mineral Resource Management”. Venue: JRDT-TI, Noamundi, Tata Steel, Date: October 26, 2017

A seminar on “Role of International Resource Reserve Re-porting codes/ guidelines in Sustainable Mineral Resource Management” was organized under the banner of Mining Engineers Association of India (MEAI), Barajamda chapter at JRDTTI, Noamundi Tata Steel on October 25, 2017

Formal inauguration of the seminar was done by lightening of the lamp by dignitaries on dais. The Secretary, MEAI Ba-rajamda Chapter Mr. Mukesh Ranjan, presented welcome address.

Dr. Abani Samal, Principal and Owner GeoGlobal LLC, Utah (USA) and Dr. P. V. Rao, Editor, MEJ addressed the gathering and shared their thoughts on reporting of mineral resources, reserves, and exploration results; and the best practices prevalent internationally for sustainable resource management. They also presented the guidelines for Sus-tainable mineral resource management.

Mr. M. Fasihuddin, former General Manager (OMQ), Tata Steel and distinguished life time member of MEAI graced the occasion as special guest and shared his thoughts on what is required to be a good mining professional taking ref-erence of his vast experience in mining business. He ad-dressed the gathering and shared some best practices to improve production and productivity which he spearheaded during his stint in Tata Steel to draw comparison with today’s Scenario. He lauded the efforts put in by MEAI, Barajamda team and specially Mr. Pankaj Satija in rebuilding the chap-ter as one of the most vibrant and active chapters of MEAI across India.

Mr Pankaj Kumar Satija, Chairman, MEAI Barajamda Chap-ter and General Manager (Ores Mines & Quarries), Tata Steel delivered the presidential address and thanked the faculty, chief guests, dignitaries and delegates present in the seminar. He briefly stressed on the importance of the role of Resource Reserve Reporting codes and sustainable resource management, which play a vital role now-a-days in investment decision making. He, in his address, expressed his gratitude for the presence of DMS, Chaibasa and his continuous support and guidance to Barajamda chapter. He briefly explained some guiding principles that are guiding today’s mining industries’ strategic decision making.

Mr. Satish Kumar, DMS, Chaibasa region, started his ad-dress by thanking dignitaries present on and off the dais, delegates and speakers. He lauded the efforts of the chapter

for organizing such a good session on a new topic “Mineral economics and its guiding principles nationally and interna-tionally”. He encouraged mining fraternity of Barajamda re-gion to participate in large numbers to learn and gain from the session and urged senior management officials of min-ing companies of the region to involve young professionals from their respective companies. He expressed his gratitude to Barajamda chapter for inviting him and organizing the session.

Guest faculty apart from sharing their thoughts delivered a detailed presentation on the “Role of International Resource Reserve Reporting codes/ guidelines in Sustainable Mineral Resource Management” and discussed the same at length. They also clarified and promoted healthy discussions among participants on the process and guidelines. They also ex-plained the same in Indian context. In their closing words, they thanked Chairman of the chapter and his team for invit-ing them to share their thoughts with the mining fraternity.

Participants included MEAI members, mine agents, mine managers, geologists and engineers from various mines of Barajamda region.

Formal vote of thanks and concluding remarks was given by Mr. R. P. Mali, member of MEAI and Chief of Noamundi Iron Mine, Tata Steel.

Formal inauguration of the Workshop by lighting the lamp by DMS Mr Satish Kumar

Address by the Chairman, Barajamda Chapter Mr Pankaj Satija


Welcome Speech by Sri. T L Yogananda, HOD of Dept. of Mining & Metallurgy, T.M.A.E.S Polytechnic

Speech by Chief Guest Shri K Madhusudhana, Vice President (Mines) , MSPL

Speech by Chief Guest Shri K Prabhakara Reddy, CEO, Sai Universal Mining Services

freshers to get free training and do higher education after Diploma.

Invitee Shri Gopal Joshi AGM, RBSSN advised the freshers to study hard for 3 years. Principal Sri. T.M. Vijaya Kumar advised the students to study well, practically according to syllabus and refer good books to acquire industry knowl-edge.

BELLARY-HOSPET (BH) CHAPTERIndian Mining Day - 2017 “Accountability is our future Challenge”

Indian mining day and Kannada Rajyostava–2017 were cel-ebrated at T.M.A.E Society Polytechnic, Hospet, in associa-tion with Mining Engineer’s Association of India, BH- Chap-ter on 1st November 2017. Various Departments’ Heads, Mine Managers, Mining Engineers, Principal, Teachers and over 200 Mining & Metallurgy Students participated in the function.

Sri. T L Yogananda, HOD of Department of Mining & Metal-lurgy welcomed the dignitaries and other participants and expressed gratitude to about 51 MEAI Student members enrolled on the day of the function.

The function was presided over by Principal Sri. T.M. Vijaya Kumar.

The function was inaugurated with the lightening of the lamp.

Mining Day Flag hoisting and taking oath/pledge followed by Mining Day Speech by the Chief guest Shri K Madhusud-hana, Vice President (Mines), MSPL and Vice President-II, MEAI. He advised the freshers to study well, enlightened them with the changes in the present mining system, and assured the T.M.A.E.S Principal to provide Guest lectures.

Chief Guest Shri K Prabhakara Reddy, CEO Sai Universal Mining Services and Secretary MEAI-BH Chapter advised

Lighting of Lamp by Sri. T.M. Vijaya Kumar, Principal T.M.A.E.S Polytechnic


BANGALORE CHAPTER

The Indian Mining Day (IMD) was celebrated by MEAI: Bengaluru Chapter on 1st November 2017 in dignified splendor with the participation of 55 members of the Chapter and students from School of Mines, KGF and Acharya Polytechnic, Bengaluru who are studying for mining engineering.

Mr. A.K. Megharaj, Deputy Director General of Mines Safety who had retired on the previous day (31.10.2017) was the Chief Guest.

Mr. Dhananjaya G Reddy, Vice-Chairman presided over the meeting, and administered the Pledge. In his welcome address, he spoke about the importance of IMD, which is a morale-boosting celebration when the mining sector in the country has been facing multiple challenges. He appreciated the theme 'Role of Management for Safety in Mines' set for the year, and gave statistics on mine accidents, and specified the role of all mine managements for enforcing safety in mines to bring down the rates of accidents to zero levels.

Mr. K. Ramani, Deputy General Manager, Tumkur Minerals Pvt Ltd (a sister concern of V.M. Salgaocar Private Ltd, Goa) made an interesting Power Point Presentation on the same theme. Commencing with the evolution of Safety Legislation, he narrated the duties of employers/ owners, supervisors, workers, contractors, manufacturers/ suppliers of equipment and tools for use in promoting safety in mines, and further spoke about the part played by Safety and Health Committees formed in order to promote the two major areas of industrial concern, namely safety and health of miners.

In his address, Mr. Megharaj lucidly explained the rate of accidents in mines and the steps that are constantly taken by DGMS to imbibe 'Zero Harm' concept amongst all concerned people, namely owners, supervisors and workmen (employed by the owners and also contractors). He emphasized that Risk Assessment in mining activities should be a regular exercise, and that Safe Operating Procedures (SOP) should be framed and implemented. He elaborated on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as provided under ILO, and advised that OSH and SOP be part of all training programs. Mr. Megharaj opined that while total commitment of management should put safety and health as a prioritized agenda, they should look in to the aspects of

(i) Allocating sufficient resources (financial and human) for the proper functioning of the OSH programme

(ii) Establishing organizational structures to support managers and employees in their OSH duties, and

(iii) Designating a senior management representative to be responsible for overseeing proper functioning of OSH management.

The punch line of his address was that in India, like many some major mineral producing countries across the globe who have successfully adopted the concept of 'self-regulation' and 'duty of care', with the role of the Government being only that of a facilitator for OSH, a gradual shift from the existing prescriptive legislation to a goal setting legislation would prove to be a better choice in achieving the real and purposeful objectives of safety and health standards.

The occasion was special also because the Chapter chose to felicitate Mr. R.H. Sawkar, Council Member, MEAI, and former Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of Bengaluru Chapter. Mr. Sawkar's glorious contribution in the fields of geology and mining was lauded. He is involved in water management projects in India, and works closely with Mr. Rajendra Singh, Chairman, Rashtriya Jal Biradari. Mr. B.G. Chennappa, Retired Additional Director of Mines and Geology, Karnataka who was Mr. Sawkar's classmate and a close associate since 1954 gave a chronological account of their lasting friendship; his talk was studded with humour and the audience burst in to laughter all along. Mr. K.R. Krishnamurthy, Secretary of the Chapter read the Citation, whereupon Mr. A.K. Megharaj and Mr. P. Sriram, Founder-Secretary of the Chapter honored Mr. Sawkar with a shawl, bouquet, fruit basket and medal. In his reply, Mr. Sawkar recalled his professional career, and the opportunities and encouragement he got to make steady progress to be where he is today.

The august presence of Mr. A.K. Megharaj, just a day after his retirement from the Directorate of Mines Safety added glamour to the assembly. His prolific service in Bharat Gold Mines Limited during the early years of his career, and later in DGMS was recalled. He was felicitated by Mr. Dhananjaya Reddy and Mr. H.S. Murthy.

The highlight of the IMD was essay writing competition on 'Role of Management for Safety in Mines' for which the response was overwhelming with 16 entries. Mr. D. Vidyarthi and Mr. Cyriac Joseph evaluated the essays and declared the following prizewinners:

Mr. A.K. Megharaj distributed the prizes to the prizewinners. Mr. Dhananjaya G Reddy and Mr. D.V. Pichamuthu presented mementos to Mr. A.K. Megharaj and Mr. K. Ramani. Dr. K.V. Krishnamurthy, Retired Deputy DG of Geological Survey of India conducted the proceedings with poise.

Mr. N. Rajendran, Jt. Secretary-cum-Treasurer of the Chapter proposed a Vote of Thanks. The participants dispersed after having sumptuous lunch.


Name institution Rankcash prize value Rs.

Micah John Simeon School of Mines, KGF I 2000

Manju Katti -do- II 1500

1. Aadhil S. 1. School of Mines, KGF III 1000

2. Kartikeyan2. Acharya Polytechnic, Bengaluru

(Joint) 1000

A View of the audience participating in IMD

Mr. R.H. Sawkar being felicitated by Mr.A.K. Megharaj

Prize winning students with the Mr. A.K. Megharaj, Chief Guest

GOA CHAPTER

MEAI Goa Chapter celebrated the Indian Mining Day on 1st November 2017 at Mining Engineering Department, Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi. There was a formal func-tion where the Head of the Department of Mining Engineer-ing Dr Ulhas Sawaikar was the chief guest. The others digni-taries on the dais were Mr. Cletus D’Souza, Vice- Chairman of MEAI Goa chapter, Mr. Mahesh Bongale, Member- MEAI National Council, and Mr. E Hymakar Reddy, Secretary of MEAI Goa chapter. The Chief Guest Dr. Sawaikar men-tioned about the need for students to join the professional bodies to enrich their careers. He requested MEAI to play a positive role in promoting involvement of students in indus-trial projects. He also stressed on the importance of safety, which was the theme of IMD set for this year. Mr. Mahesh Bongale spoke on the theme of the Day “Role of Manage-ment for Safety of Mines”. He mentioned that though the legislations are very strong in India with regard to safety, still the companies need to go few steps ahead in identifying the hazards & arriving at solutions. Mr. Cletus D’Souza spoke on the theme & explained as to how there was development of safety standards in Goan Mining Industry. He administered the safety pledge by all the members present. Mr. Hymakar Reddy gave an overview of the objectives of the Indian Min-ing Day and also introduced the guest speaker of the day. The formal function was followed by a technical talk by Mr. Clarence D’Souza, Training Officer (GGVTC), Ex- Associate General Manager (safety), M/s Vedanta & Safety Consultant on the topic “Behavioural Management”. Mr. Clarence ad-dressed the elements in Safety interaction program, Risk Behaviour (ABC Model). Mr. Akhil Avchar, Asst Professor proposed vote of thanks. The entire programme was con-ducted by Ms. Yogita Kharkhanis, Asst Professor (Geology). Around 70 MEAI members, Faculty & Students of GEC at-tended the programme.

(L – R: Mr. Mahesh Bongale, Dr. Ulhas Sawaikar, Mr. E. Hymakar Reddy, Mr. Cletus D’souza)


KOLKATA CHAPTERIndian Mining Day celebrations were held in Kolkata and Kharagpur on October 27th and November 1st 2017. In Kol-kata, a panel discussion was held on the ‘Rationalization of Payments to Governments for Mineral Reserves’ in the EcoVista Club. To set the tone for the discussion, Dr. Harry Parker, Immediate Past Chairperson, CRIRSCO, made a presentation on the “Payments to Governments for owning mineral assets globally” and explained good, bad and really bad scenarios in respect to the use of these payments by certain governments in developing economies. Mr Suresh Singh, MEAI Executive Committee Member, Kolkata Chap-ter, made a brief presentation on “Reflections on Regulatory Changes in Mineral Concessions and Payment to Indian Government in Mineral Auction Regime”. The presentations were followed by lively discussions amongst the members. Some photographs of the event are attached.

Dr. Srikant addressing the gathering Dr Harry Parker speaking on “Payments to governments”

INDIAN MINING DAY CELEBRATIONS AT IIT KHARAGPURThe SME Student Chapter at IIT Kharagpur in India cel-ebrated the Indian Mining Day on November 1, 2017 with a small mineral exhibition and a display of mining related posters, videos and mining artefacts. The Mining Engineers Association of India (MEAI), a major professional body with over 5000 members from mining and allied disciplines, de-clared November 1st as the Indian Mining Day and has been organizing events to celebrate mining in India since 2013.

SME student members and faculty members were on hand to answer questions from about 60 students who attended the event in the lobby of the mining engineering department. On this occasion, the department head, Dr. Khanindra Pathak encouraged the students to be “aware of the challenges and targets of mining industry and set new goals of the next gen-eration mining engineers”. Dr. Biswajit Samanta, the faculty advisor for the SME student chapter spoke of the activities of the SME in promoting awareness of mining in the com-

Faculty and students at Indian Mining Day celebrations

munity at large so that the negative impacts of mining can be addressed. Other faculty members who spoke included Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, Dr. Ashish Bhattacharjee and Dr. Srikant Annavarapu. The students and faculty members took the Mining pledge promoted by the Mining Engineers Association of India (MEAI).

The mining pledge states “We, the Mining Engineers of In-dia, salute our National Flag and pledge, while observing 1st November of every year as Indian Mining Day, that it will be our endeavor to uphold and follow, with all sincerity and integrity, the best scientific methods to Prospect, Produce and Preserve the Mineral Resources for the prosperity of our Nation”.

MEAI – HEADQUARTERSMEAI – Headquarters, Hyderabad set an example by con-ducting various programmes on Indian Mining Day 2017, in simple yet grand and purposeful manner. The Headquarters office conducted Elocution, Quiz & Essay Writing competi-tions for the Mining Engineering Students at Mines Safety & Productivity Council, Conference hall, Hyderabad. Shri K. Peter, LM MEAI & Vocational Training Officer (MSPC Ltd) conducted the programmes attended by the students of four Engineering Colleges including Osmania University. The HOD and a Senior Professor in the Department of Mining Engineering, Malla Reddy Engineering College, Hyderabad participated and functioned as judges. Prizes were distrib-uted to the winners and two runners- up of the three com-petitions.

NMDC Ltd, in association with MEAI Headquarters, Hydera-bad conducted the Indian Mining Day 2017 Meeting at NM-DC’s Conference hall. The meeting was attended by a large number of participants from NMDC, MEAI Hyderabad chap-ter, Academicians, and the Officers of DGMS, DGM-Govt. of Telangana, IBM, FICCI and several other sister organiza-tions. Shri Pankaj Kulshrestha, Regional Controller of Mines, IBM, Hyderabad was the Chief Guest. Shri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Director, Directorate of Geology & Mines, Govt. of Telangana & Shri M. Narsaiah, Director, DGMS were the Guests of Honour.


Dignitaries present in NMDC IMD celebrations

Dignitaries with participants at MEAI Headquarters

Shri Pradeep Kumar, DGM (Mining), NMDC Ltd., welcomed the august gathering. Dr H. Sarvothaman, Secretary Gen-eral, MEAI spoke on the ‘Context of Indian Mining Day’. He also made a presentation on various types of minerals that come into the day-to-day use of human activities. Shri M. Narsaih spoke on the importance of the Mines Safety mea-sures and actions taken by the DGMS in the safety of the mines and mine workers. Shri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar spoke on ‘Mining Today 2018’ Conference to be held at Hyderabad in February 2018, apart from mineral resources of Telan-gana in brief. Shri Pankaj Kulshrestha Chief Guest spoke on various recent reforms made by the Govt. of India in the mining sector. The Chief Guest and Guests of honour were handed over mementos. Dr H. Sarvothaman proposed vote of thanks.

RAJASTHAN CHAPTER-JODHPURNews Item- Report on Celebration of Indian Mining Day-2017Rajasthan Chapter, Jodhpur celebrated Indian Mining Day on 1st of November 2017 at Seminar Hall of Department of Mining Engineering, M B M Engineering College, Jodhpur on the theme “Role of Corporate Management in Mines Safety”.

An essay competition on the theme was organized for the under graduate students of the Mining Engineering. 22 par-ticipants submitted their essays and first three of them were

awarded with First, Second and Third Prizes of Rs 2,000, 1500, and Rs 1000 respectively.

The Program was started with Saraswati Poojan. The Guests on Dais were the Chapter Chairman and Secretary, HOD of Department of Mining Engineering- Prof. Dr S.K. Parihar, and Prof. Dr Sushil Bhandari, the National Council Mem-ber. Prof. Parihar gave the Welcome Address. Two minutes silence was kept in the memory of late Prof (Dr) AS Sheo-ran, who recently departed in the month of October 2017. It was followed by e-hosting of the IMD Flag by the Chapter Chairman Dr P C Purohit and the pledge as received from the Headquarter was read by each attendee on the occa-sion. Three lectures on the subject theme were delivered by Dr. P.C. Purohit, Er. P.C. Dhariwal, Advisor to J.K. Group of

Dr Bhandari presenting Rs 2000 cheque to 1st prize winner in essay competition

Members taking pledge at IMD celebrations

IMD Celebration at MBM Engineering College Jodhpur


Industries and Er. D.S.K. Saksena, former Director DGMS, Government of India. Er. Nishank also presented his view point on e-data storing & its utility in present mining scenario for safe mining.

All the speakers presented their view points on the subject theme which were very well appreciated by the gathering consisting of over 100 people. Prof Virendra Singh, Prof D.M. Surana, Er V.S. Mathur, Prof V.S. Palria, Er P.R. Dave, Er K.D. Purohit, Er S.N. Mathur, college faculty members, local chapter members, and college students were present during the program. Prof. Bhandari honored all the three speakers with a Memento. The Chapter Chairman gave the prize money to all the winners of the Essay Competition. At the end, the Vote of Thanks was given by the Chapter Sec-retary Shri A.K. Jaiswal. He also conveyed that the chapter has upgraded a classroom by installing 5 split ACs (1.5 tons each), overhead projector and furnished it with door & win-dow curtains at a cost of Rs 2.50 lakh. The Program ended with the signing of National Anthem.

A section of Audience in the IMD Program

Dy DGMS presenting certificate to M.S. Paliwal

Honor to Rajasthan Team for getting 1st Prize at Bangalore

RAJASTHAN CHAPTER-UDAIPUR

Indian Mining Day CelebrationIndian Mining Day was celebrated by the Mining Engineers Association of India, Rajasthan Chapter-Udaipur on 1st No-vember, 2017 in association with Institution of Engineers and Geological Society of Rajasthan, in the Institution of Engineers Hall, Udaipur. The Chief Guest of the function was Sh. Narayan Rajak, Dy. Director General North West Zone, Udaipur and Presided by Sh. A. K. Kothari, National President, MEAI.

Sh. Narayan Rajak, highlighted the role of management in developing safety in mines. He explained in detail how safe-ty can be enforced in co-ordination with and co-operation of workers and managers.

Shri A.K. Kothari highlighted the importance of celebrating the Indian Mining Day for Mining Professionals and Mining Industry. He also explained about the requirement of sepa-rate safety regulations for large and small mines. Former Director Mines, Govt. of Rajasthan Shri D.S. Meh-ta, Director Mines Safety, North-West Zone, Udaipur, Sh. P.K. Kundu, Controller of Mines Udaipur Zone, Indian Bu-reau of Mines, Sh. T.K. Rath, and General Manager, Zawar Mines and Key Note speaker Sh. Rajeev Shrimali attended the meeting. The event was well attended by members of the Mining Engineers Association, Institution of Engineers, Geoscientist Society and Hindustan Zinc Ltd.

Sh. M.S. Paliwal, Supdt Mining Engineer, Mines & Geology Dept and Sh. S.K. Vashitha, A.G.M. Hindustan Zinc Ltd. and

their team members were facilitated for receiving First Prize in State category in 'Mining Majma' for the State of Rajast-han which was held in Sept. 2017 at Bangalore.

Shri Rajeev Shrimali and Shri Murari gave keynote ad-dress about safety provisions and Paste Filling procedure in Sindeshwar Khurd Mine of Hindustan Zinc Ltd.

Shri Anurodh Prashant, Chairman, Institution of Engineers welcomed the audience and Sh. Y.K.

Boliya proposed the vote of thanks. Shri R.D. Saxena, Sec-retary of the Udaipur chapter conducted the event. Fellow-ship Dinner was arranged after the event.


TAMILNADU (TN) CHAPTERMEAI-TN Chapter celebrated Indian Mining Day (IMD) in a very grand manner at 6 different places in Tamilnadu Chap-ter covering areas of Mining clusters and Academic insti-tutions of national repute. The organizers of IMD received tremendous support from all the Executive members and Office bearers of the chapter to celebrate it in a very grand manner. During this unique event, where academicians, stu-dents, miners, practicing engineers, geologists and veterans of mining operations came together for the cause of mining for the nation. A brief report on celebrations held at various places TN Chapter is given below.

1. IMD celebrations at ARIYALUR (Mining Cluster)-orga-nized by MEAI TN Chapter Sri. M. Mayilrajan, Secretary welcomed the gathering and stressed the importance of IMD celebrations. Sri. B. Ar-unachalam, Expert trainer in SMS and Senior member of MEAI was the Chief Guest for the event.

Shri S. Kumarasamy, Former Director, NLC India Ltd and MEAI National Council member was Guest of Honour. Shri E. Vasudevan, Jt. Secretary proposed vote of thanks. The activities at Ariyalur included:• Poster, Speech & slogan competitions for Mine

Workers • Quizcompetitionsforfrontlinesupervisors• TrainingonSMS-presentedbyChiefGuest• Blooddonationcamp• Donation of Notebooks to children of orphanage

school, Ariyalur

BLOOD DONATION CAMP Donation of books to orphanage school

2. IMD Celebrations at Dept of Mining Engineering, Anna University, ChennaiIn the beginning, Prof. K.V. Shanker welcomed the guests and participants of the Indian Mining Day 2017 celebrations. The importance and need for holding the Mining Day Cel-ebrations was highlighted. Prof. K. Srinivas, Former Chair-man, MEAI-TN Chapter and Head, Department of Mining Engineering dealt with the role of management for safety in mines. While delivering the special address, Shri. T. An-balagan, IAS, Director, Tamilnadu Archives and Historical Research and the Chief Guest of function indicated the

role of mining for the growth of economy in the country and urged the student community to focus more on the safety and environmental aspects of mining. He also requested the young mining engineers to prepare themselves to work in any given situation. Finally, Prof. P. Balamadeswaran, former Secretary, MEAI-TN Chapter and Convener, IMD celebra-tions proposed vote of thanks

Chief Guest Shri. T. ANBALAGAN, IAS addresses during the IMD function

3. IMD celebrations at Annamalai University supported by MEAI-TN Chapter, ChidambaramDepartment of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University and Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Tamil Nadu chapter jointly organized one day National Seminar on “Artificial In-telligence in Mining” in order to celebrate the Indian Mining Day. Shri. S. Kumarasamy, Former Executive Director Mines, NLC India Ltd was the Chief Guest. Shri E. Vasudevan, Jt. Secretary MEAI TN Chapter was the Guest of

Honour. Prof. S. Kabilan, the Dean, Faculty of Sciences, Annamalai University offered felicitation. The Professor and Head, Dr. T. Ramkumar presided over the function. Dr. G.R. Senthil Kumar, MEAI Life member and Convener of the Seminar welcomed the participants. Dr. N. Ganesh, the organizing secretary, briefed the objectives of Indian Mining Day celebration. At the end, Dr. B. Selvaraj, organizing sec-retary proposed vote of thanks.

View of participants and StudentsAddress by Shri. S. Kumarasamy, Chief Guest

4& 5 IMD Celebration at M/s.India Cements Ltd (ICL), San-kar Nagar, Tirunelveli & Sankari, Salem Sankar Nagar:Shri R. Balamurugan, Sr. Manager (Mines), The India Ce-ments Limited welcomed the dignitaries. The function was presided over by Sri.S. Dakshinamoorthy, General Manager (Production), The India Cements Limited, Sankarnagar,


Shri S. Dakshinamoorthy,GM (Production)addressing the gathering

View of participants Afforestation at ICL, Sankari, Salem

Donation of food & Sweets to old age home by Sri. M. James

Address by Shri. K.S. Anandan, Chief Guest

Shri R. Balasubramaniam, Mines Agent, Krishna Mines, Tirunelveli was the Chief Guest of the function. E.Krishnan, AGM (Mines)& Sri. S.K. Chinnadurai, Secretary India Ce-ments Employees Union were also attended the function. It was concluded with vote of thanks proposed by Shri E. Mohan, Manager (Mines), Sankarnagar.

Sankari- Salem:Sri. G. Rajesh,Manager Mines has welcomed the gathering. Sri. S. Ramesh. AGM, Mines presided over the celebration and addressed the gathering. The celebrations concluded with Vote of thanks proposed by Sri. S. Natarajan, Chief Manager, Mines. Competitions for mine workers, afforesta-tion and safety drama were conducted.

6. IMD Celebrations at M/s Ashwin Enterprises, ChennaiSri. M. James, MEAI National Council Member, welcomed the gathering. Sri. K.S. ANANDAN, Former Executive Direc-tor (Mines), NLC India Ltd, the Chief Guest, addressed the gathering. Meeting was concluded with Vote of thanks pro-posed by Sri. Tamilarasan, Executive member.

FORMATION OF NEW COMMITTEES OF MEAII am grateful and obliged to the members of MEAI for showing faith in me and giving the responsibility as MEAI President for the term 2017-19. I shall try my level best to meet the expectations and dignity of MEAI. This is only possible with your active contribution & support.

For effective functioning of our organization, we have to delegate responsibilities to our esteemed members for immaculate planning & impeccable execution of different activities. Keeping in view the proper implementation of objects of MEAI, I hereby constitute following Committees for the term 2017-19:

International Affairs Committee: Shri. T.Victor, Immediate Past President – Chairman; Members: Shri. R.H.Sawkar, Council Member, Dr. P.V.Rao, Editor MEJ, Dr. Abani Ranjan Samal.

Resource Mobilization Committee: Shri. B.R.V.Susheel Kumar, Chairman Hyderabad Chapter – Chairman; Members: Shri. D.S.Maru, Council Member, Dr. Meda Venkataiah, Past President, Shri. O.P.Gupta, Chairman Rajasthan Chapter Jaipur.

Program Committee: Dr. N.K.Nanda, Co-opted Council Member – Chairman; Members: Shri. Rajendra Singh Rathore, Council Member, Shri. C.H.Narsimulu, Secretary Hyderabad Chapter, Shri. V.S.Rao, Past President.

Membership Committee: Dr. S.S.Rathore, Chairman Rajasthan Chepter Udaipur – Chairman; Members: Shri. Dilip Saxena, Council Member, Prof. Bhabesh C.Sarkar, Dhanbad, Shri. P.N.Rao, Chairman Ahemdabad Chapter.

Constitution Amendment Committee: Shri. T.V.Chowdary, Past President - Chairman; Members: Shri. T. Victor, Immediate Past President, Shri. V.S.Rao, Past President, Shri. M. Fasihuddin, Past President, Shri. BRV Susheel Kumar, Chairman Hyderabad Chapter, Dr. P.V.Rao, Editor.

Website Renovation Committee: Shri. Deepak Gupta, Council Member – Chairman; Members: Shri. Anil Mathur, Vice Chairman Rajasthan Chapter Jaipur, Prof. Sushil Bhandari, Council Member, Shri. C.S.Dhaveji, Council Member.

New Building Project Committee: Shri. T.V.Chowdary – Chairman; Shri. B. Ramesh Kumar – Treasurer; Members: Shri. T.Victor, Immediate Past President, Shri. S.K.Pattnaik, VP-I, Shri. K.Madhusudhana, VP II, Shri. S.N.Mathur, VP-III, Shri. B.R.V.Susheel Kumar, Chairman Hyderabad Chapter, Dr P.V.Rao, Editor, Shri. K.U.Rao, Council Member.

Legal issues resolving Committee: Shri. Vijay Singh A.R, Council Member – Chairman; Members: Shri. P.C.Bakliwal, Secretary Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur, Shri. Prakash, Chairman Hutti-Kalaburagi Chapter, Shri. S. C. Suthar, Council Member.1. In all above committees President & Secretary General shall

be ex-officio members.2. Chairman of committee can co-opt any member of MEAI in

his committee for betterment of work, intimating the President and Secretary General of MEAI on Email.

3. First meeting of committee can be held within 15 days at a suitable place or on telephonic/Email route & decide the budgetary requirement for the year 2017-18 for their effective functioning. They must intimate the requirement to Secretary General so that the amount can be included in budgetary provision for approval from council in first council meeting.

- President, MEAI


MEAI headquarters at Hyderabad has acquired a new premise (unit no.609) for use as a refurbished office. The existing office premises in unit no.608 was remodelled into a grand auditorium with modern facilities like acoustics, stage and seating. The refurbished office premises and the new auditorium were inaugurated and dedicated in the service of the mining profession and the Nation on Wednesday 24th

Jan, 2018. Shri Ajay Mishra, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, was the Chief Guest on this occasion.

On this memorable occasion several Council Members, Past-Presidents and Special Invitees guests and MEAI Members were present in large number. After lighting of the lamp to start the solemn occasion Dr.H.Sarvothaman, Secretary General welcomed the guests in his welcome address. Shri B. R. V. Susheel Kumar, Director Mines & Geology, Govt. of Telangana and Chairman, MEAI Hyderabad Chapter addressed the gathering as one of the Guests of Honour. He pledged support to MEAI headquarters activities. Dr. N.K. Nanda (Director Technical) NMDC Ltd &Guest of Honour, in this address appreciated the activities of the mining professionals in the service of the Nation. Shri I. Gopi Nath (Senior Vice President-Corporate Affairs) the India cements, Hyderabad, also a Guest of Honour, recalled the services of the mining profession and also assured his support to MEAI. Shri Arun Kumar Kothari, President MEAI, spoke at length about the need of MEAI headquarters newly acquired space for effective functioning. He appreciated the Building Committee’s efforts in realising the dream of possessing permanent own Auditorium for conducting various activities such as seminars, workshops and trainings. The newly designed MEAI Brochure was released during this occasion. On this occasion, the Past-Presidents S/Shri V.S. Rao, Md. Fasihuddin, T. Victor and Dr. V. D. Rajagopal; and Prof B. B. Dhar, shared their thoughts on long association with MEAI and also highlighted how MEAI grew activities over the last 60 years.

Shri Ajay Mishra, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, the Chief Guest of this occasion had assured in his capacity all possible assistance to MEAI from the Government of Telangana. He said that MEAI needed to make impact on the societal matters like education. He also asked the MEAI to rise to all occasions in the Social Responsibilities.

Shri M Raju, Retired Director General Geological Survey of India and Shri P R Tripathi EX-CMD, NMDC Ltd also spoke on this occasion and shared their professional experiences and association with MEAI. Shri M Chakradhar, Joint Secretary-cum-Treasurer MEAI proposed vote of thanks.

inauguration of meai auditorium and new office Premises

Inauguration of Auditorium by Shri Ajay Mishra, IAS as Shri Arun Kothari, President, MEAI and Dr. N.K. Nanda, Dir.Technical, NMDC Ltd. look on

Dignitaries on the dais

Address by Shri Arun Kumar Kothari, President, MEAI

Shri AK Kothari, President, MEAI honouring Shri Ajay Mishra, IAS, Chief Guest


meai cHaPters' newsAHMEDABAD CHAPTERThe Ahmedabad Chapter was formally launched on 14th June 1997, with meagre membership strength of about 25, in the presence of the then MEAI President Shri T. V. Chowdary with Founder Chairman (Late) Shri B. K. Antia and Secretary Shri S. N. Mathur. The Chapter has since been working actively and rather vibrantly during the past two decades.

As its membership grew from 25 to over 250 and looking at the membership spread over a very wide area of the State, the Executive Committee of the Chapter, with due approval in the Chapter’s AGM, decided to have four Local Centres to ensure active participation of all members. The proposal was also submitted to the MEAI HQ, but not to receive its written approval in the absence of a clear policy guideline though verbally allowed this experiment. This arrangement had been working quite successfully. Each Local Centre (Kutch, Bhavnagar, South Gujarat and Ahmedabad) has its own administrative Committee and organises at least one Seminar, Workshop or some such event every year. They also take care of students of Degree / Diploma Mining Engineering and Geology in their region and also try to organise some event for and by the students every year.

In addition to the seminars or other events organised by the Local Centres, the Chapter also organises seminars at its Ahmedabad HQ. One such event every alternate year is either a National level or International Level programme. The Chapter also organises paper meets, group discussions and / or Round Table Conferences at Ahmedabad on relevant current topics. Recently a programme was organised on the new Coal Mines Regulations 2017. Earlier, similar programmes were organised on new Land Acquisition Act and new MMDR Act also.

The Chapter has also instituted annual awards for Best Member (and Best Student Member) of the Chapter and the Best Local Centre. It also felicitates two veteran Members every year for their service towards the growth of the Association and to the mining industry. They are presented with a plaque, citation and shawl in family gathering, just after the AGM.

In recognition of dedicated services rendered by the founder Chairman (Late) Shri B. K. Antia, the Chapter established a series of Annual Memorial Lecture in his name. So far, four such lectures have been organised where senior and reputed professionals/ dignitaries of the mining industry were invited to deliver the Memorial Lecture.

The Chapter aims to have its AGM on its Foundation day i.e. 14th June every year, with Shri B.K. Antia Memorial Lecture,

a seminar and a family dinner after the AGM. If 14th June falls mid-week on a working day when the attendance is likely to be poor, the event is shifted to the week end for the convenience of members and guests.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Kutch Local CentreKutch Local Centre of Ahmedabad Chapter organized a half-day seminar on Changes in Coal Mine Regulation 2017’ on February 16, 2018 at VT Centre of New Mata No Madh Mine township. Around 57 persons gathered to mull over the Changes in Coal Mines Regulation 2017 and interacted over its impact on mining industry. The participants were from Mata No Madh, Umarsar, Panandhro & Gadhsisa projects of GMDC, Sanghi Industry, students and professors from Bhuj Polytechnic and mining contractors Monte Carlo Limited. This program was anchored by Shri S.H. Makwana, Sr. Manager (Store), Mata No Madh Lignite Mine.

Shri H.K. Joshi Convener, Kutch Local Centre, Shri R.K. Das General Manager (P), Mata No Madh Mine, Shri Pappu Kumar General Manager Sanghi Cement and Shri S G Srivastav HOD, Mining Bhuj Polytechnic College were on the dais. Shri H.K. Joshi delivered the keynote address. Other dignitaries on the dais also presented their views. Shri R.K. Das, GM (P) Mata No Madh Mine, Shri H. Bhushan, Safety Officer (Mata No Madh Mine) and Shri A.B. Dani, Safety Officer (Umarsar Mine) presented papers on the changes in Coal Mines Regulation 2017 with reference to Coal Mines Regulation 1957.

Vote of Thanks was proposed by Shri. N.N. Mupkalwar, Dy. G.M (Mata No Madh Mine) for making the event a huge success.

Mr H K Joshi delivering his address

A view of the audience


Kutch Local Centre Kutch Local Centre organised a one day Seminar on April 7, 2018 in Auditorium Hall of Government Polytechnic, Bhuj on ‘Environmental issues related to mining/industrial activities in Kutch region’.

The basic purpose of the seminar was to bring awareness in the students on the environmental issues being faced by mining industry during mine operation and suggest possible mitigation measures. Shri B. G. Bhankar, Principal of Government Polytechnic College Bhuj, inaugurated the Seminar. The other dignitaries on the dais were Shri H.K. Joshi, GM GMDC & Convenor, Kutch Local Centre, Shri Pappu Kumar, G.M. Sanghi Cement Industries, Shri Pradeep Kothari, G.M., GIMPEX, and Dr. M.G. Thacker, HOD(Geo), Kutchh University.

Following six papers were presented in the Seminar.

1. Prospects/opportunities for industrial development in Lakhpat Taluka of Kutch District by Shri A.B. Dani LM MEAI & DGM, GMDC, Umarsar Lignite Mine

2. Environment Friendly Mining by Shri. Pappu Kumar, LM MEAI & GM, Sanghi Cement Industries

3. Sustainable Industrial and Socio-economic development by Shri. S. K. Chaudhari A.M. (Environment), GMDC, Akrimota Thermal Power Plant

4. Environmental issues related with mining/industrial activity in Kutchh Region by Shri. P.S. Patel A.M. (Env), Mata-No-Madh Lignite Mine, GMDC and Shri. S.H. Makwana, Sr. Manager (Store), Mata-No-Madh Lignite Mine, GMDC

5. Air Quality Monitoring by Shri. S.G. Srivastav, LM MEAI & HOD(Mining), GP Bhuj and Shri S.C. Dabhekar, Lecturer (Mining dept.), GP Bhuj

6. Use of low cost adsorbents in remediation of acid mine drainage by Shri. B.V. Thacker Lecturer (Civil Dept.), GP, Bhuj

A group photo of participants with the Chief Guest Mr B G Bhakhar

In all 65 delegates attended the seminar. Dr. M.G. Thacker, HOD (Geology) Kutch University and Shri. Nathani, HOD (Mining), Government Engineering College Bhuj were the Chairman and Co-Chairman respectively for the technical session.

The programme was anchored by Shri. A.B. Dani, Secretary, Kutch Local Centre and the vote of thanks proposed by Shri. B.K. Mahato, LM MEAI & I/c G.M.(Project), GMDC, Umarsar Lignite Mine.

Mr A B Dani anchoring the programme South Gujarat Local Centre South Gujarat Local Centre of Ahmedabad Chapter had organized a one-day Seminar on “Safety Management Plan” on April 30, 2018 at GVTC, Lignite Project Rajpardi. Around 40 members of the Chapter participated along with their family members. Participants were from following Mines form the South Gujarat region and other organizations:

1. Amod (G-19 Extn.) Lignite Mine, GMDC

2. Valia Lignite Mine, GIPCL

3. Tadkeshwar Lignite Mine, GMDC

4. Vastan Lignite Mine, GIPCL

5. M S Universty, Vadodara

The programme was inaugurated by Shri. Swagat Ray, Chairman of South Gujarat Local Centre & GM (Project) GMDC Lignite Project Rajpardi, along with Project heads of Tadkeshwar, Valia & Vastan mines.

Shri. Swagat Ray welcomed all the distinguished guests and chaired the technical sessions. Shri. D S Bhayal, GM GMDC Tadkeshwar also highlighted the necessity of Safety Management Plan giving some examples. Shri. N K Chauhan, Mine Manager, Vastan Lignite Mine -SMP said that SMP has covered a distance from recommendation to regulation. It was a learning session for all the participants


as to how to prepare and implement the management plan effectively. Shri. P C Goyal, Mine Manager, Vastan Lignite Mine emphasised on uniform approach for risk rating of the hazards of the mines and vigorous brainstorming sessions for developing the method of document review and its control.

S/Shri S D Jagani LM (Rajpardi), Vikash Mrituka (GIPCL), A I Srivastava (Tadkeshwar) and Pushpendra Sharma (Vastan) presented four papers in the Technical Session.

Following valuable suggestions were received from the delegates:

a) Implementation approach has to be in documented form.

b) Consequences and exposures should be fixed components and probability the variable one based the control measures adapted.

c) Responsibilities should be shared up to bottom level like Overman, Mining Sirdar, Contractor supervisor and operators of the concerned machineries.

d) ERCI should either be in high range or medium range. As keeping the hazard in the lower range would mark the things quite safe.

e) After installation of Slope Stability Radar, the hazards which are ranked high should come to medium rank due to implementation of the advance technology. Work force could be withdrawn before occurrence of any danger, so that the consequences and probability for any unexpected occurrence would be low.

f) SOP and COP should also be prepared in Hindi and Gujarati language for the workers employed in the mines so that they can easily understand the importance of SMP.

g) Stress should be put on Incident not on accident.

h) Yearly plan should be given to mining contractor for better understanding of how they work in the specific period.

i) Management and contractor’s structure and responsibilities should be defined in a chart.

Special events were organised for family members that included visit to nearby Rajpipala Palace, Photography Session at Pond Area, Indoor Games and mine Visit along with MEAI Members.

Lighting of Lamp by Dignitaries (L-R): Mr S D Jagani, Mr Swagat Ray, Mr P C Goyal & Mr N K Chauhan

Mr Swagat Ray explaining the functioning of Slope Stability Radar installed at Amod (G-19 Extn) Lignite Mine

BARAJAMDA CHAPTERTechnical paper presentation cum workshop on Contract Safety ManagementThe technical paper presentation cum workshop on “Contract Safety Management” was organized under the banner of Mining Engineers Association of India, Barajamda Chapter at Valley Club, Joda , Tata Steel on June 2, 2017.

At the outset of the meeting, Safety pause was given on emergency preparedness and exits in the auditorium. Formal commencement of meeting cum workshop was inaugurated by lightening the lamp by the dignitaries on dais. Welcome address was given by Mr Sirish Sekhar, Chief-Khondbond Iron Mine, Tata Steel.

Mr Pankaj Satija, GM (OMQ), Tata Steel and Chairman of MEAI Barajamda Chapter gave presidential address. He emphasized the importance of Safety in mining Industry and on the welfare and safety of the contract employees. He explained about the star rating system for contract evaluation


that helps in improving the system and management of the contract. He expressed his commitment towards providing equal opportunity for welfare and training facilities to the workforce. He stressed on regular medical check-up of contract employees to improve the health status of employees and community for better quality of life and productivity.

Mr. Satish Kumar, Director of mines safety – Chaibasa region appreciated the efforts of MEAI for organizing regular workshops/ seminars on different topics to enhance the knowledge of mining community as well as sharing industry practices/ technology in mining Industry. He informed the participants regarding the recent Supreme Court decision on Occupational Health in Mining & Industries. He told that the mining companies should give more focus on and ensure proper implementation of Occupational Health with regard to IME & PME. He emphasized on conducting regular medical & health check-up of contract employees. He presented the details of Mines Act, Rules and regulations related to welfare of all employees including contract Mining.

Around 250 participants including the MEAI members along with contractors and their supervisors attended the workshop.

The technical papers on “CSM- Transportation, CSM- Excavation, CSM – Processing Plant, Occupational Health, Present Scenario of Occupational Health & Eastern Zone Mining Association and Mines Act, Rules & regulation on Contract Safety” were presented by Mr. G. Subramaniam of M/s TEMPL, Mr Shailendra Kumar of M/s Rungta, Mr Narayan Sharma of Tata Steel, Dr. Saurav K De, OH&S, Tata Steel, Dr. B N Mohapatra from BBSR and Mr Satish Kumar, DMS-Chaibasa respectively.

In sequence of technical presentations, the initial three papers were made on contractor safety Management in operation area, which included transportation, excavation & plant operation and maintenance. The doctor in charge of OH&S presented on the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers. Dr. B. N. Mohapatra presentation focused on continual improvement and regular review of the processes to raise the standards of qualitative occupational health service in Eastern Zone Mining sector.

Mr Satish Kumar, DMS-Chaibasa presented a paper on Mines Act, Rule and regulation on contract safety and welfare. His presentation focused on statutory provisions, court and ministry guidelines on OH&S, welfare and safety guidelines for employees, which include contract worker.

Formal vote of thanks was propsoed by Mr Mukesh Ranjan, Secretary, MEAI Barajamda Chapter.

Address by Mr. Satish Kumar-DMS

MEAI members along with contract owners

Presidential address by Mr. Pankaj Kumar Satija

Workshop on Safety Management Plan (SMP)A technical paper presentation cum workshop on Safety Management Plan (SMP) was organized under the banner of Mining Engineers Association of India (MEAI), Barajamda Chapter at JRDTTI, Noamundi, Tata Steel on August 4, 2017.

Formal commencement of meeting cum workshop was inaugurated by lightening the lamp by the dignitaries on dais. Welcome address was given by Mr. H. Mojumdar, Vice Chairman, MEAI Barajamda Chapter.

Mr Pankaj Kumar Satija, General Manager (Ore Mines & Quarries), Tata Steel and Chairman, MEAI Barajamda Chapter delivered the Presidential address. He stressed about the importance of safety in mining industry and emphasized on the welfare and safety of employees. He also said that safety is everybody`s responsibility and


emphasised on behavioural safety. He expressed his views on the key role of frontline supervisors in making SMP and ensuring safety at workplace. He invited all MEAI members for the upcoming workshop and expressed his commitment for organising regular workshops and seminars by MEAI Barajamda Chapter.

(L-R): Mr H Mojumdar, Mr P Damodar, Mr Satish Kumar, DrA K Sinha, Mr Pankaj Satija, and Mr Saket Bharti

Mine Agents, Managers, electrical and mechanical engineers participating in SMP workshop

Mr P Damodar, Deputy Director of Mines Safety (Electrical) gave keynote address on the occasion and appreciated the efforts of MEAI Barajamda Chapter team to bring together mining professionals.

Mr Satish Kumar, Director of Mines Safety, Chaibasa Region appreciated the efforts of MEAI in organising regular workshops/seminars on different subjects to enhance the professional knowledge of mining community as well as sharing best practices/ technology in mining industry. He requested all members present to take benefit of presence of Dr. Ashim Kumar Sinha, DDGMS, an eminent mining engineer with vast experience of OHS, regulation, and member of task force for review of national policy on safety, health and employees welfare.

Dr. Ashim Kumar Sinha talked about the long journey of safety management system in Indian mining industry. He explained about the benefits of implementing the system and how the same has reduced the number of incidents and improved safety at workplace. He explained in detail the process to be adopted for successful implementation

of the system. He stressed upon self-regulation model of SMP over the prescriptive regulatory model and adoption of digital model for making SMP where the details will be made available online. He urged all mine managers to complete the process and submit the SMP on time.

Around 200 participants including the MEAI members along with mine managers, engineers and agents from various mines attended the meeting. Tata Steel, Essel Mining, and Rungta Mines presented papers covering subjects like hazard identification, risk assessment, hazard control plan & audit and review. The objective of the workshop was to improve safety at workplace by involving mine management and employees performing the job.

Formal vote of thanks and concluding remarks were delivered by Mr R. P. Mali, Member, MEAI Barajamda Chapter.

Seminar cum Workshop at Megha Club, Meghahatuburu Iron Ore Mine, SAIL A seminar cum workshop on ‘Innovative Practices on Dust Suppression for Mining Industry’ was organized at Megha Club, Meghahatuburu Iron ore Mine (MIOM) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) on July 29, 2017.

At the outset of the meeting, safety pause was given on emergency preparedness and exit of auditorium. Formal commencement of seminar cum workshop was inaugurated by lightening the lamp by the dignitaries on dais. Welcome address was given by Mr S. D. Pahadi, General Manager, Meghahatuburu Iron Ore Mine, SAIL.

Mr Pankaj Satija, General Manager (Ore Mines & Quarries), Tata Steel, and Chairman of MEAI Barajamda Chapter gave presidential address. He spoke about the importance of implementation of various dust suppression systems in mining industry and their impact on environment. He expressed his concern over the rising air pollution due to mining operations. This requires innovative and new methods to prevent generation of dust, he remarked. He invited all the MEAI members for upcoming workshop on 04.08.2017 at Noamundi and articulated his views on MEAI as a forum for learning and sharing of ideas by various mining companies.

Mr Satish Kumar, Director of Mines Safety, Chaibasa Region appreciated the efforts of MEAI for organising regular workshops/seminars on different subjects to enhance the knowledge of mining community as well as sharing of best practices/ technology by the mining fraternity. He said that today’s seminar on innovative practices on dust suppression for mining industry is a key concern and miners should ensure implementation of different new practices for dust suppression.


Around 150 participants including the MEAI members along with mine managers and agents from various mines attended the meeting.

The details of presentations made in the seminar given below: 1. Presentation by Mr Saket Bharti, DDMS, Chaibasa

Region was on awareness on sillicosis and control measures. He explained the details of regulation on dust control and medical examination of persons employed in mines.

2. Presentation by Australian experts from Dustwork was on the use of additives as measure for dust suppression. During the presentation, different innovative ideas for haul road dust suppressant, rail wagon veneer dust suppressant, stockpile and exposed ground crushing agent etc. were discussed in detail.

3. Presentation by BEML was mist spray and conversion kit for existing dumpers. They presented on the effective measures taken in development of new sprinklers which will lead to reduction in the total requirement of water and improvement in the effectiveness of duct control.

4. Presentation by the team from Quality Circle MIOM was on in-house interlocking arrangement of drill machine for wet drilling. The kaizen was done by one of the improvement groups to ensure the wet drilling in DTH drill machine.

The workshop was interactive and participants raised questions after each presentation to obtain further details on commercial aspects of projects for implementation in mines.

Concluding speech was delivered by Mr Rajesh Kumar, Joint Secretary cum Treasurer of MEAI Barajamda Chapter. Formal vote of thanks was proposed by Mr I VA Raju, General Manager , Kiriburi Iron Ore Mine, SAIL.

Mr Pankaj Satija, Chairman Barajamda Chapter speaking on Chapter future programs

(L-R): Mr I V A Raju, Mr Saket Bharti, Mr Satish Kumar, Mr Pankaj Satija, Mr Nicholos and Mr Martin

Mr Satish Kumar, DMS addressing the audience

Seminar on “Digital initiatives in Mining Industries”

The seminar on “Digital initiatives in mining Industries” was organized under the banner of Mining Engineers’ Association of India (MEAI), Barajamda chapter at JRDTTI, Noamundi, Tata Steel on August 21, 2017

Formal commencement of the seminar was done by lightening of the lamp by dignitaries on dais. Welcome address was given by Mr RP Mali, a life member of MEAI Barajamda Chapter and Chief (Noamundi), Tata Steel.

Mr Pankaj Kumar Satija, Chairman, MEAI Barajamda Chapter and General Manager (Ores Mines & Quarries),Tata Steel delivered the presidential address. He stressed on the importance of digital transformation in mining industry which was still untouched one or two years ago. He elaborated on how digital initiatives have transformed the mining business nationally and internationally. He also elaborated on how digital has become a way of life for a common person and touched upon Digital India initiatives promoted by Indian Government. He briefly explained some digital initiatives of government regulatory bodies to ease the mining business hassles. He expressed his views on key role of younger generation of mining industry to inculcate digital culture in their respective organisations. He concluded his address by thanking dignitaries, speakers and delegates.

Mr Saket Bharti, Deputy Director of Mines Safety (DGMS), Chaibasa region addressed the gathering by briefly explaining initiatives taken up by DGMS as a regulatory body of Indian Mining industry under digital drive. He also gave a presentation on “Digital transformation to obtaining statutory permissions” and showed a self-explanatory step-by-step video to apply online application for obtaining statutory permissions without any hassles.

Mr Anupam Nandi, Regional Controller of Mines (RCoM), Ranchi Region stressed on the need for mining industry to go digital in their operations and explained the benefits in terms of production, productivity as well as workplace environment and safety. He explained about digital initiatives taken by government regulatory bodies to ease the way of working.


He discussed and elaborated on several implemented and upcoming digital initiatives by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) such as submission of mine plan for approvals and others. He urged all agents, mine managers and mining fraternity present in the seminar to expedite digital drive in their respective organisations.

Mr Sarajit Jha, Chief, Digital Value Acceleration Team (DVAT), Tata Steel and team gave a presentation on “Digital transformation initiatives in Tata Steel” and discussed about major initiatives taken up to ease the way of working, enhance workplace safety and productivity, paperless operation, smart logistics and others. He appreciated the efforts of MEAI Barajamda Chapter in organizing a seminar on this important topic.

The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) team led by Mr Arun Kumar gave a presentation on “Digital innovation in mining” and discussed about various initiatives.

The team from e-Trans Enterprises also gave a presentation on “Fleet management System” and explained benefits of their digital products.

Over 70 delegates, including MEAI members, agents, mine managers and engineers from various mines of Barajamda region attended the seminar and appreciated the content and insights generated from the seminar.

Mr Sanjit Kumar Adhya, a life member of MEAI Barajamda Chapter and Mine Manager, Noamundi Iron Mine, Tata Steel, gave formal vote of thanks and concluding remarks.

Mr Pankaj Kumar Satija, GM (OMQ) addressing the delegates

Mr Saket Bharti, Dy Director of Mines Safety, Chaibasa Region addressing the delegates

MEAI DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONSNational Seminar on “Technology Innovation & Safety in Mining Industry” Organised by MEAI Barajamda Chapter Venue: JRDTTI, Noamundi, Tata Steel on 23-24.03.2018

On the occasion of the Diamond jubilee celebrations of MEAI and MEAI Barajamda Chapter, a two-day National Seminar was organized at Noamundi Iron Mine, Tata steel on 23-24, March 2018. The topic of the National Seminar was “Technological Innovation & Safety in Mining Industry”. Mr. Arun Kothari, National President, MEAI was the Chief Guest on this Occasion. Other dignitaries present on the dais on this occasion were, Mr. Satish Kumar (DMS, Chaibasa Region), Mr. M. Fasihuddin (former General Manager, OMQ and former President MEAI), Mr. V.S. Rao (former Executive Director, FAMD and former President, MEAI), Mr. P. Saidev (Executive Director, SAIL), Mr. Sanjay Pattnaik (Managing Director, TSIL), Mr. Manas Biswas (General Manager, Gua Iron Mine, SAIL) and Mr. H Majumdar (Vice Chairman, Barajamda Chapter).

The program started in its traditional lighting the lamp by the dignitaries. Mr. Manas Biswas gave the welcome address, which was followed by the speeches by the dignitaries. Major highlights of the speeches given by the dignitaries include adaptation of mining industry to the current challenges and thereby developing and executing the technological solutions to improve the production, safety and operational excellence. It was also discussed that the Indian Steel demand (as per National Steel Policy 2017) will increase to 300 Mt, which will necessitate the use of technological solutions for breakthrough improvement. It was also stressed that in future, with limited resources and infrastructure, improvement in production and productivity and adaption of alternate resources and technological solutions will be the key for success and sustenance of the mining industry. It was also stressed that the Barajamda Chapter should play an active role while any amendments are made to mining legislations. Speech Session was followed by release of the souvenir by the dignitaries.

Inauguration of Souvenir


Mr. Rajesh Kumar (Joint Secretary, Barajamda Chapter), presented the annual activities conducted by the Barajamda Chapter. A tribal dance by members of the TSRDS group was performed to start the program in a traditional and unconventional way.

Exhibition Stalls were displayed by various mining companies to present their models, which was followed by the Technical Sessions. In all 25 technical papers were presented in four Technical Sessions in the two-days seminar. Key highlights and learnings from these technical papers include the following:ä Mineral levies and ease of doing business in mining

industryä Use of underground water robots, advancement in

mine surveillance systemä Use of rope con and pipe conveyor in transportationä Importance of simulator based trainingä Use of LIDAR technology in surveyingä Use of surface miner for blast free miningä Use of Photo Sat GPS for surveillanceä Potential for Use of natural gas and CNG in dumpersä Use of fleet management system for improving the

operational excellenceä RFID based solution in dispatch processä Challenges and innovation in rock blasting techniquesä Mine excellence system in drilling and blasting and use

of cloud based dataä Autonomous haulage system in mining industryä Potential for use of high capacity excavators and dump

trucks and automated drill machineä Noise mapping in operational areasä Use of Slope Stability radar for pit slope stabilityä Biodiversity conservation measuresä Behavioural Safety in Miningä Use of surveillance system and video analytics in

miningä IOT (internet of things) based solution in mining

industry

The two-day function ended with the valedictory function in which recommendations from the papers were discussed. The Chief Guest on this occasion was Mr. Satish Kumar, DMS Chaibasa. The other dignitaries present on this occasion were, Mr. M. Fasihuddin, Mr. V.S. Rao, Mr. R.P. Mali, Mr. Arun Kumar, Mr. D.N. Parida and Mr. Ganesh Tripathy. The Chairman of the recommendation committee, Mr. R. P. Mali discussed the Summary and Recommendations from the technical papers. The session ended with the vote of thanks, given by Mr. Arun Kumar (DGM, Gua, SAIL).

Mr AK Kothari, President MEAI receiving a memento from Mr Satish Kumar, DMS, Chaibasa

BLOOD DONATION CAMP AT JODAOn the occasion of Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the As-sociation held at Noamundi by the Barajamda Chapter, a blood donation camp was organized at Tata Sponge, Joda on 24th March 2018. Mr Arun Kothari, President MEAI and Mr Sanjay Pattnaik, CMD Tata Sponge & Vice-President-I, MEAI inaugurated the Camp. Hospital team collected 101 units of blood. President Arun Kothari along with Mr Pattnaik also visited a beautiful park developed on a 50m high fly ash dump by Tata Sponge, a unique step towards environment protection.

Mr Arun Kothari and Mr Sanjay Pattnaik with Medical team

BANGALORE CHAPTERAnnual General Meeting / Executive Committee MeetingsThe Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Chapter was held on 1st July 2017 and the new Executive Committee with Dr. T.N. Venugopal as Chairman, Mr. Dhananjay G. Reddy as Vice Chairman, Mr. K.R. Krishnamurthy as Secretary and Mr. N. Rajendran as Jt. Secretary cum Treasurer took charge, and five Executive Committee Members viz. Mr. H.S. Murthy, Dr. H.S. Venkatesh, Mr. Cyriac Joseph, Mr. V. Nagaraj and Mr. S. Nayak was elected. The AGM was followed by a professional talk on 'Emotional Intelligence' by Mr. A.K.


Ojha, a renowned mining engineer in the country who has been a Management Consultant for the last few years. The talk was highly engrossing and encouraged the members in the interactive session, which followed the talk.

During the year, the Executive Committee met eight (8) times to discuss various issues concerning the activities of the Chapter.

Membership Drive

The membership drive continued and 20 new life members, and 30 student members, all from Acharya Institute, Bengaluru were enrolled during the period.

Half-day Seminars, Workshops, etc.a. Two (2) half-day Seminars were conducted as per the

details given below. The attendance at the Seminars was good, with 40-50 members attending each of the seminars.

15.04.2017 - Mining, Metallurgy & Environment1. Beneficiation of Iron Ores and its impact in Iron and

Steel making by Mr. T.R.R. Rao, Former Executive Director, KIOCL, Bengaluru

2. Microbially assisted processes in mineral processing, extractive metallurgy and environmental remediation by Prof. S. Subramanian, Dept. of Materials Engineering, IISc, Bengaluru

3. Processing of solid wastes from mines, mineral processing and metallurgical plants – a conceptual case study of small size iron-steel industry by Dr. B.P. Ravi, Professor, Vijayanagara SriKrishnadevaraya University, Bellary (VSKU B), PG Centre, Nandihalli, Sandur

4. Advances in Gold Ore Processing by Mr. Vivek Ranganathan, Manager, Mineral Processing, Geomysore, Bengaluru

17.03.2018 - Advances in our Knowledge on Regional Mineralisation in Karnataka, Methods of Prospecting for Gold and Open Cast Mining for Bauxite1. ‘Archaean crustal evolution of the Dharwar craton and

related mineralization' by Dr. R. Srinivasan, Senior Researcher Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

2. ‘Adoption of Modern Exploration methods, a key to discovery of economic new gold deposits and leading to mine development’ by Mr. S.C.R. Peshwa, Director (Exploration), DESPL, Bengaluru.

3. ‘Mining with Care - Eco Friendly Mining Practices at Panchpatmali Bauxite Mine of NALCO – Orissa’ by Mr. K.S. Sreedhara, Ex-Executive Director, NALCO.

4. ‘Limestone and Dolomite Resources of Karnataka’ by Mr. N.R. Pattabhi Ramaiah, Sr. Geologist (Retd.), Department of Mines and Geology, GoK, Bengaluru

b. A seminar was conducted on 20th February 2018 at Acharya Polytechnic for the benefit of diploma and degree students of Mining Engineering Departments of the institute. The Topic of the seminar was DRILLING AND BLASTING IN MINES. The following topics were covered by senior members of the Bengaluru Chapter:

Technical Session I:Explosives, Blasting Accessories and Drilling Mr. S. Subramanyam

Technical Session II:Blast Designs in MinesMr. Deepak Vidyarthi

Technical Session III:Mine Legislation for Transportation, Storage and Use of ExplosivesMr. H. S. Murthy

c. The following two workshops were conducted during the year:

i. Workshop on Impact of GST on Mining Industry was held on 17th August 2017 in the auditorium of Institution of Engineers (India), Bengaluru. The Workshop was conducted in four sessions, covering (i) Brief Overview of GST, (ii) Basics of GST, (iii) GST and Mining Issues, and (iv) GST Returns. CA Vijay Singh A.R. and CA Shashi Kumar, the resource persons lucidly explained many facets of GST, including basic definitions, provisions and enforcement of GST legislation, its impact on mining industry and answered the queries raised by several delegates from mining Industry. Over 65 delegates attended the workshop.

ii. Workshop on Minor Minerals Legislation - Karnataka Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 1994 (KMMCR1994): Provisions & Procedures was organized on 20th January 2018 at Executive Development Centre, IIHM, Bengaluru. More than 100 delegates attended the workshop. Mr. Veeramani, Chairman, GEM Group of Companies inaugurated the workshop. Post-inauguration, four Technical Sessions were held, and the faculty consisting of Dr. T.N. Venugopal, Mr. A.R. Vijay Singh (Chartered Accountant), Mr. K. Ravindar (Dy. Director of Mines Safety, DMS, Bengaluru) and Mr. S. Nayak, (Mining Engineer,


R&R Cell, Monitoring Committee, DMG) made presentations. The sessions covered a wide array of topics, KMMCR, DMG Permits, Explosive Usage, Royalty, DMF, GST, Auctions and Tenders and the Role of DGMS in mining minor minerals. After detailed deliberations, the group identified contradictions in amended KMMCR with the provisions of the Act and other related rules.

Other ActivitiesIndian Mining Day was organized on 1st November in the premises of Geological Society of India. Mr. Dhananjaya G. Reddy, Vice-Chairman Presided over the function and administered the pledge. Mr. K. Ramani, Deputy General Manager, Tumkur Minerals Pvt. Ltd. (a sister concern of V.M. Salgaocar Private Ltd., Goa) made an interesting Presentation on the theme of the day - 'Role of Management for Safety in Mines'. The Chief Guest Mr. A.K. Megharaj, Dy. Director General (Retd), lucidly explained the rates of accidents in mines and the steps that are constantly taken by DGMS to imbibe 'Zero Harm' concept amongst all concerned people, namely owners, supervisors and workmen (employed by the owners and also contractors). Mr. R.H. Sawkar, Immediate Past Chairman, MEAI Bengaluru Chapter was felicitated on the occasion. Mr. B.G. Chennappa, Retired Additional Director of Mines and Geology, Karnataka who was Mr. Sawkar's classmate and a close associate since 1954 gave a chronological account of their lasting friendship; his talk was studded with humour and the audience burst into laughter all along. Mr. A.K. Megharaj, retired just a day before from the Directorate of Mines Safety, GoI added glamour to the assembly. His prolific service in Bharat Gold Mines Limited during the early years of his career, and later in DGMS was recalled. He was felicitated by Mr. Dhanajaya Reddy and Mr. H.S. Murthy. The highlight of the IMD was essay writing competition for the students on 'Role of Management for Safety in Mines' for which the response was overwhelming with 16 entries; Mr. D. Vidyarthi and Mr. Cyriac Joseph evaluated the essays and announced cash awards and certificates to Messrs. Micah John Simeon, Manju Katti, and Aadhil S, all from School of Mines, KGF, and Mr.Kartikeyan from Acharya Polytechnic, Bengaluru.

Some Members of Bengaluru Chapter participated in a one-day Workshop organized in Bengaluru by the Geological Society of India on 29th May 2017. The theme was 'Strengthening of State Departments of Mines and Geology'.

HonorMr. Deepak Vidyarthi was conferred the Award of Excellence for Mine Planning & Design for 2016-17, at the Geominetech Symposium on the National Technology Day on 11th May, 2017 at Bhubaneshwar. Mr. D. Vidyarthi received MEAI Smt. Veena Roonwal Memorial Award for best technical paper

titled “Management of Water in Mines” in 2016 during the AGM held at Udaipur on 7th July 2017.

GST ImplementationAs per the minutes of the meeting dt. 19th July 2017 held in MEAI HQs office, Hyderabad under the chairmanship of Mr. A.K. Kothari, President, MEAI, Bengaluru Chapter has registered under GST with three additional places of business to cover Hutti-Kalburgi, Bellari-Hospet and Belgaum Chapters. The implementation has been successfully carried out though understanding the provisions and making modifications thereof has taken some time and effort. The Chapters are complying with all requirements, particularly filing the Returns.

Demise of Members• MEAI,BangaloreChapterfeelsadatthedemiseofthe

following members during the period of the report:

• Mr. Honnapuram Kariyanna (LM 5205/BAN): Expiredon 11-09-2017

• Mr.C.S.Shivashankar(LM0017/BAN):Expiredon23-12-2017

• Condolence messages were sent to the familiesconcerned, obituary published in MEJ and one-minute silence observed in the meetings.

Executive Committee members of Bengaluru Chapter for 2017-19L to R: Dr.H.S.Venkatesh, Mr.H.S.Murthy, Mr.N.Rajendran, Mr.Dhananjaya G.Reddy, Mr.R.H.Sawkar (National Council member), Dr.T.N.Venugopal, Mr.K.R.Krishnamurthy and Mr.V.Nagaraj(Mr.Cyriac Joseph and Mr.S.Nayak were not present)

Dr.T.N.Venugopal, Chairman, handing over a memento to Mr.A.K.Ojha.


Seminar on Mining, Metallurgy & Environment: L to R: Mr. K.R.Krishnamurthy, Dr. S. Subramanian, Mr.K.S.Raju, Mr.TRR Rao, Mr.R.H.Sawkar, Dr.B.P. Ravi, Mr.Vivek Ranganathan

Mr.R.H.Sawkar (R) giving a memento to Mr.K.S.Raju (L), Former Controller General of IBM & Chairman of the Technical Session

Dr. R.Srinivasan, Senior Researcher in the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, IISc delivering his talk during the half day seminar on 17th March 2018.

Mr. K.R.Krishnamurthy, Secretary presenting memento to Mr. S.C.R.Peshwa, Director (Exploration), Deccan Gold Mines Ltd.

A section of students, Acharya Polytechnic, listening to Mr.S Subramanyam’s talk.

Mr.D Vidyarthi, who made a presentation on blast designs in mines, receiving a memento from Prof.Rekha Reddy, Assistant Professor, Acharya Polytechnic.


Inauguration of the Workshop on Minor Minerals Legislation: Mr.R.Veeramani, Chairman, GEM Group of Companies & Chief Guest addressing the gathering. Seated L to R: Mr.K.R.Krishnamurthy, Dr.T.N.Venugopal, Mr.R.H.Sawkar and Mr.Dhananjaya G Reddy

Inaugural Programme of the workshop. L to R- Mr. K.R.Krishnamurthy, Dr. T.N.Venugopal and Mr. D.V.Pichamuthu

Technical session of Workshop of GST Mr. A.R.Vijay Singh delivering a talk during the Workshop on impact of GST in Mining Industry.

Shri. R.H.Sawkar felicitated by S/Shri A.K.Megharaj and P.Sriram. Mr.Dhananjaya Reddy, Dr. K.V.Krishnamurthy and Mr. K.R.Krishnamurthy also seen.

Prize winning students with the Mr. A.K.Megharaj, Chief Guest and Mr. Cyriac Joseph, one of the Jury. Students from left to right - Kartikeyan, Manju Katti, Micah John Simeon & Aadhil S.


BELGAUM CHAPTERThe following are the brief activities of the Chapter during 2017-18.

• ThelastAnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM)oftheChapterwas held on May 28, 2017 and election was held for various positions of Executive committee for the year 2017-19.

• Apart from AGM, 6 monthly meetings and onebimonthly meeting were conducted to discuss various issues pertaining to Mining, Geology, Environment, MEAI, GST etc. These meetings were held at two venues viz. National Institute of Hydrology, Belgaum and Hotel Shiva, Belgaum. In addition, two meetings of the workshop organizing committee were also held towards organizing the National workshop.

• It’ssadnewsforourChapterthatitlostDr.G.S.Pujar,Associate Professor, KSc, Dharwad who was a great academician and Life Member of MEAI, on February 11, 2018.

• Mr. D.A. Hiremath has continued to be the NationalCouncil member of the MEAI for the term 20017-2019.

• Three new Life Members were enrolled during thisterm viz. Dr. P. Prabhakar, Solapur; Mr. S.A. Budavi, Belgaum, and Mr.Yogesh M Kutre, Belgaum

• Mr. D.S. Malkai, Chairman and Dr P.T. Hanamgond,Secretary of the Chapter attended the GST Workshop held at Bangalore on August 17, 2017.

• WithMEAIBangaloreChapteras theprincipalplaceof business under GST Laws, the Belgaum Chapter has been incorporated as additional place of business along with Bellary-Hospet Chapter and Hutti-Kalburgi Chapter. The GSTIN (GST Identification Number) allotted to our Chapter is 29AAATM7472Q1ZO.

• The Chapter has conducted one National workshopon “Limestone and Dolomite Deposits of India”, at KM Giri Auditorium, GSS College, Belgaum, which was a grand success. On this occasion, the Chapter entered in to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GSS College.

• The Chapter has brought out a leaflet regarding theactivities of MEAI and Belgaum Chapter, for distribution to the delegates during the National workshop.

• Two of our members Mr. S.R. Hegde and Mr. A.P.Bansal were felicitated at the National workshop for their dedicated services to the Belgaum Chapter.

• Dr.Hanamgond,Secretarypublishedapaper“Anoteon Zeolites of Maharashtra”, in Mining Engineers’ Journal June 2018, pp 19-21.

• Dr. Hanamgond, Mr. G.S.N. Murty, Mr. K.V. Pateland Mr. H.G. Shreepada attended the Mines Safety Association of Karnataka, Golden Jubilee Celebrations seminar held at Bangalore on May 25-26, 2018.

• TheChaptersponsoredZeoliteExhibitionheldon5-8October 2017 at GSS College, Belgaum by contributing with Rs.25000.

• Details of Fixed Deposits (Total 5,15,386) of theChapter: Rs. 2,00,000 at Canara Bank, Khanapur Road, Belgaum (till 28 June 2020) and Rs. 2,14,416 and Rs.1,00,970 at Canara Bank, Udyambag Branch, Belgaum with monthly interest earning scheme.

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NATIONAL WORKSHOP on Limestone and Dolomite Deposits of India, Organised by Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Belgaum Chapter in association with Department of Geology, GSS College, Belagavi, held on 7th January 2018 at KM GIRI AUDITORIUM, GSS COLLEGE, BELAGAVI was inaugurated with an invocation song by GSS College Students. Shri. D.S. Malkai, Chairman, Belgaum Chapter welcomed the dignitaries and the delegates. Shri. Kamlesh Patel, Convener & Jt. Secretary, Belgaum Chapter briefed about the Belgaum Chapter and introduced the guests. The workshop was presided over by Shri. K. Madhusudhana, Vice-President II, MEAI & Vice-President M/s. MSPL, Hosapete, along with Chief Guest Dr. T.N. Venugopal, Chairman, Bangalore Chapter; Principal Dr. N.D. Hegde; Shri. D.S. Malkai, Chairman Belgaum Chapter; Dr. P.T. Hanamgond, Organising Secretary, and Shri. Kamlesh Patel, Convener, by pouring water to a plant. At the outset, Shri. K. Madhusudhana, released the Souvenir volume. MEAI Belgaum Chapter and GSS College entered into an MoU to have interactions and interdisciplinary programs in future for the betterment of the Society and Geology students.

Life members Shri. S.R. Hegde and Shri. A.P. Bansal were felicitated for rendering yeomen service to Belgaum Chapter.

The chief guest Dr. T.N. Venugopal in his address briefed the importance of Limestone and Dolomite deposits, the legislative constraints etc. He appreciated both GSS College and Belgaum chapter for having entered into an MoU, and said it is the first time in the MEAI history to have entered an MoU with a UG College. He also delivered a keynote talk on Limestone and Dolomite Mineral Concessions- Processes and Procedures, wherein he elaborated the details of Indian and International scenario of limestone and dolomite exploration and Indian status.

Shri. Mukeshkumar Sinha, GM (Mines), Dalmia Cement Ltd., Yadwad, delivered the second talk of the day on “Limestone Mining after recent regulatory regime”. He detailed about the problems and constraints in Limestone mining, especially highlighting the MMDR Act and has made some significant recommendations, which are included at the end of this report.


The third invited talk was given by Dr. A. R. Kulkarni, Head, Environmental Science, SCIBER, Kolhapur on “Sustainable Development Framework for mining”, wherein he gave a brief account of Star rating aspects for mines.

Exchange of MoU document by Principal Dr. N.D. Hegde and Shri. D.S. Malkai

Release of Souvenir volume by the dignitaries

Presidential remarks by Shri. K. Madhusudhana, VP-II, MEAI

Shri.Mukeshkumar Sinha, GM (Mines) Dalmia Cements, with Dr. B.K. Purandara, Shri H.G. Shreepada, & Shri. Sagar Waghmare in Panel Discussion

The fourth invited talk was given by Shri. Yogesh M.Kutre (joint paper with authors Dr. P.T. Hanamgond and Shri. S.S. Mense) Lecturer, Geology Department, GSS College,

Belagavi on “Limestone & Dolomite Deposits of Bagalkot District”, wherein he gave a brief account of Bagalkot deposits with reference to stratigraphy, geology and grade.

The fifth invited talk was given by Shri. S.M. Waghmare, Asst. Professor, SGBIT, Belagavi (joint paper with authors Dr. P.T. Hanamgond and Mrs. P.S. Shinde) on “Geo-tourism in Karst Topography”, highlighting the limestone deposits which have importance in Geo heritage/tourism point of view.

At the end of the day’s deliberations, a panel discussion with valedictory function was held under the chairmanship of Dr. B.K. Purandara, Scientist NIH & Vice Chairman, MEAI Belgaum chapter along with the panel members Shri. H.G. Shreepada, Mine Owner, Bagalkot, Shri. G.S. Narasimhamurty, Mining Consultant, Bagalkot & Shri. Sagar M. Waghmare (Treasurer) and Shri. Mukeshkumar Sinha, GM (Mines), Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd., Yadwad.

The following recommendations were drawn from the panel discussion:1) Approval of leases should be faster, 2) In case of associated deposits of Limestone and Dolomite, the dolomite deposit should be treated as major mineral and approval should be sought from IBM, 3) In case of Patta Land the approval should be sought from either State or Central Govt., 4) In case of associated minerals/ materials such as building material (rejects) or over burden, occurring in the held lease, the lessee should be permitted to sale in the open market which will generate revenue to the State Govt & will lower the burden, 5) After mining of resources before 50 yrs, the stamp duty should be levied for that period of Mining only, 6) Due to various constraints only part of the Mineral resources can be converted into reserves. Therefore it is suggested that the resources for the auction-able blocks should be put under – 1. Constraint Free Areas & 2. Constraint Areas, 7) Mineral bearing areas should be put to auction only after obtaining in-principle clearances and NOC (including Gram Sabha), etc., 8) In case of auction of mining blocks: a) Average Sale Price of Limestone: Long term obligations (50 Years) not to be linked with Volatile Reference price. Separate Sale Price for Captive and Non Captive Limestone Mines may be considered, 9) In case of Transfer of Mining Lease, transfer of captive mining lease within group companies where there is no change in effective control and management may be considered by including a definition in the rule of transfer and exempt them from payment of transfer charges, 10) In case of Taxes and Levies, the effective tax rate for mining in India is significantly higher than any other country in the world and needs rationalization, and 11) In case of Threshold value of Lime Stone, it is suggested to revise threshold values in line with Norms of NCBM.


BELLARY - HOSPET CHAPTERAnnual General MeetingThe Annual General Meeting of the Chapter was held at MGVTC Sandur on 29th July, 2017. The following office bear-ers and executive committee were elected unanimously.

Chairman:Shri B. Sahoo, GM, NMDC Ltd., Donimalai

Vice Chairman:Shri T.L. Yogananda, HOD Department of Mining & Metal-lurgy Engineering- TMAES Polytechnic Hosapete.

Secretary:Shri K. Prabhakar Reddy, CEO, Sai Universal Services & SUMS Techno Labs Pvt. Ltd.

Jt. Secretary cum Treasurer:Shri R. Prakash Babu, Mines Manager, SMIORE Sandur.

Executive members:Shri S.H.M. Mallikarjuna, AGM, M/s JSW, Sandur

Shri J. Srikanth,Mines Manager, M/s ZTC, Sandur

Shri P. Sathyaprakash, Mines Manager, M/s RMML, Hosapete

Shri M.T. Jagadish, Mines Manager M/s Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd., Hosapete

Shri Chandrashekhar Halli, DGM, MGVTC, Sandur

On the same day, a seminar was organized on recent Leg-islation changes like MMRD, DMF, NMET, Mineral auction Rules etc. Dr. T. N. Venugopal, Shri A.R. Vijay Singh, Council Member and Shri S. Nayak, MONCOM presented techni-cal papers. Mr. Rakesh presented on “MAGMA the Miners Anatomy” Mobile App. There was also an open discussion about IBM “Online application” for Star Rating and its dif-ficulties”.

Dr. Meda Venkataiah and Shri M.S. Raju expressed their views on the activities of the Chapter and made sugges-tions for further improvement. Shri Manish Eknath Murkute, DMS, Bellary Region shared his experiences for the better-ment of the Association.

First Executive Committee Meeting The first executive committee meeting of the Chapter was conducted on 19th Sept. 2017 at Sai Universal Mining Ser-vices-Hosapete. Discussed the following points in the meet-ing:

• Improving the membership of the Chapter• Differentactivitiestobeconducted• Waysofgeneratingfunds• Frequencyofmeetingstobeconducted

It was proposed and decided to celebrate ‘Indian Mining Day’ with a theme “Accountability in our future Challenge” on 1st November 2017.

Indian Mining Day CelebrationOn 1st November 2017, Indian Mining Day & Karnataka Ra-jyotsava Day were celebrated at TMAES Polytechnic, Hosa-pete by the Mining Engineers Association of India, BH chap-ter. More than 200 professionals attended the program. Shri K. Madhusudhana, Vice President-II, MEAI, Shri K. Prabha-kar Reddy, Secretary, MEAI-BH Chapter, Shri Gopal Joshi, AGM, RBSSN, and Shri T.M. Vijaya Kumar, Principal graced the occasion and delivered their valuable speeches. Later on, they interacted with the students.

General Body Meeting General Body Meeting of the chapter was held on 17.11.2017 at MGVTC, Sandur. Shri K. Prabhakar Reddy, Secretary of the Chapter requested the executive committee members and others present to rise the members strength of the Chapter by encouraging mineral industry professionals to join as Life Members of MEAI. He requested all executive committee members to donate Rs.5,000 each to MEAI to generate funds for the Association.

Dr. Meda Venkataiah Past President, MEAI in his speech suggested for conducting National Seminar in association with Ballari-Hosapete, Gulbarga & Bengaluru Chapters. Shri K Madhusudhana, VP-II, MEAI encouraged new engi-neers to become life members of the Association. He in-formed that national seminar is being proposed to be held by the Chapter in September 2018. He also informed that coaching classes for candidates appearing for First Class Mine Manager examination will be arranged soon after the issuing the examination notification by DGMS. He requested to collect the data of officers/ competent persons working in the mining field of their organization and send it to Chair-man/ Secretary of the Chapter for compilation and main-tain centralized data bank. He requested senior members of MEAI to become fellow members of MEAI.

In his speech, Shri B. Sahoo suggested the members to in-crease the frequency of technical seminars at Chapter level. He requested member mines to donate generously to the Association’s fund. He congratulated Shri K. Madhusudana for being elevated as Vice President-II of MEAI National Council.

In the technical session, following papers were presented on different topics.


• Water purifier for healthy life was presented by Mr. Praveen from Enagic India Kangen Water Pvt Ltd-Hydrabad

• Shri Shivaprasad and his team presented on BeltConveyor System

• Shri Sanjeev Sheel from M/s Automation Controls,Hyderabad presented on Safety equipment to be used in HEMM in mines

Second Executive Committee MeetingSecond executive meeting was conducted at NMDC Guest house, Donimalai on 20th January, 2018.

Chairman of the chapter Shri B. Sahoo congratulated all the executive members for contributing Rs 5000 each to the Chapter as a donation. He also thanked all the executive members for making new life members from this chapter. Chairman suggested all the Executive members to make at least 10 new life members each.

Shri K Madhusudhana, VP-II, MEAI appreciated that there is an increase of enrollment of new members, which is a worthy achievement by the members. Secretary Shri K Prabhakar Reddy also suggested that we should make two groups, one at Hosapete and another at Sandur to approach mine own-ers and request them to donate funds for the Association. It was decided to request to all the members of the chapter to donate funds to the Association.

Chairman of the Chapter proposed to conduct workshop /technical talk 1) Mine Transport surveillance system at NMDC, 2) Downhill Conveyor system, and 3) Recent amend-ments on E-Auction, etc. Requested the mining companies to host the same.

It was also decided to conduct a National Seminar on Sep-tember 21-22, 2018 at Hosapete. The title of the national seminar will be decided later. Shri K. Madhusudhana was requested to obtain the National Council’s approval for hold-ing the national seminar.

Third Executive Committee Meeting It was conducted at NMDC Guest house, Donimalai on 27th March 2018.

Shri B. Sahoo, Chairman expressed his happiness for put-ting all the efforts in enrolling highest number of life mem-bers & Student members compared to other Chapters. Shri K. Prabhakar Reddy, Secretary informed that the Chapter enrolled 74 Life Members, 53 Students Members and 2 Fellow Members. He also informed that the Chapter has got the approval from Head office to organize 2-days Na-tional Seminar on September 21-22, 2018 and requested the members to propose appropriate title/ theme for semi-nar. After prolonged discussions, it was tentatively decided

on the seminar theme as “PRESENT MINING & FUTURE CHALLENGES”, which may be modified and finalized in next meeting.

The following important aspects for holding the seminar were discussed in detail.

i) Expected members for Seminar is 250-300 and students 50-80.

ii) On 21st Sep 2018 (first day of the seminar), it was decided to have conference Dinner.

iii) Estimation of income and expenditure was made on the basis of Seminar conducted in the year 2013-14 and it amounts to around Rs. 25 Lakhs.

iv) Prima facie it was decided to collect Event Sponsorship were @ Rs. 5 lakhs, 3 lakhs, 2 lakhs, & 1 Lakh depending on the size of the company

v) Delegate fee for the seminar was decided as below:

MEAI members………. Rs. 2,000

Non members………… Rs. 3,000

Students………………… Rs. 500

vi) Venue of the seminar at Hotel Mallige, Hosapete

vii) On the suggestion of the Chairman, the following committees were formed for smooth organization of the seminar.

a) Collection Committee (Executive committee is responsible for the collection)

b) Technical Paper Committee

c) Organizing Committee

d) Broacher Committee

viii) It was decided to release the brochure by First week of June 2018. It was also decided to have the following members in the brochure committee.

a) Shri K Madhusudhana

b) Shri K Prabhakar Reddy

c) Shri Jagadeeshwar, NMDC Ltd.

d) Shri Chandrashekhar Halli

ix) Shri K Madhusudhana informed that DMS shall be the Patron with other DMS and Dy. DMS as delegates.

x) It was decided to assign Shri K Madhusudhana with the responsibility of booking the hotel and other arrangements for the seminar.

It was decided to have a workshop on 20th April 2018 at MGVTC Sandur followed by dinner with families. The sub-jects proposed for discussion in the seminar are:1. Belt Conveyor system2. Star rating report procedures3. Mine Transportation and Surveillance System


GLIMPSES OF EVENTS

Shri K Madhusudhana VP II, MEAI requested the members for selection of new office bearers

Shri B Sahoo, GM, NMDC Donimalai selected as a chairman of MEAI BH Chapter

Shri K Prabhakar Reddy, CEO, SUMS-Hospet selected as a Secretary of MEAI BH Chapter

Felicitation to Shri MS Raju, Council Member MEAI

Felicitation to Shri Dr Meda Venkataiah, Past President, MEAI, ED Mining, MSPL

Lightening of Lamp

Presidential address by T M Vijaya Kumar, Principal TMAE’S

Speech by Chief Guest Shri K Madhusudhana VP II, MEAI


Memento Distributed to Fresher’s by Shri K Prabhakar Reddy, Secretary BH Chapter

Water purifier for healthy life by Mr. Praveen from Enagic India Kangen Water Pvt Ltd-Hydrabad

Safety equipments to be used in HEMM in mines by Shri Sanjeev Sheel from M/s Automation Controls

Executive committee members assembled in NMDC Guest House to discuss and decide the theme for international seminar. “PRESENT MINING & FUTURE CHALLENGES”

DHANBAD CHAPTER

SEMINAR ON “MINING INDUSTRY – FUTURE PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES”

17th June, 2017, CSIR-CIMFR, DhanbadOn this great occasion, a seminar on "Mining Industry - Future Prospects and Challenges" was also organized. In this session, six research papers were presented by scientists, CSIR-CIMFR and the chief guest of the function Prof. B. B. Dhar.

Prof. B. B Dhar delivered a lecture on “Skill development initiative in Indian mining sector – FIMI’s efforts” where he explained about the necessity of skill development for generating employment, adorned several examples where skill development helped in empowering the youth, discussed the necessity of skill development in the country, presented relative comparison of initiatives taken by the mining communities at present and in the past and oriented the future path forward to the mining communities, avenues where efforts have to be concentrated for skill development.

Dr. N. Sahay, Chief Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR delivered a lecture on “Challenges in ventilation, fire and safety in coal mines” where he explained about the history of mine ventilation, the role of ventilation in controlling underground fire, the safety aspects associated with mine fire, control of open and sealed fires. The challenges in maintaining adequate ventilation, controlling fire in coal mine were also discussed. He stressed the need for planning and design of ventilation system for deep underground coal mines and studies on thermal properties of rock. Application of CFD modeling for realistic estimation of air quantity requirement for mechanized mines is also emphasized.

Dr. Abhay Kumar Singh, Principal Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR delivered a lecture on “Water resource management in Indian coal mining areas”. With the help of several statistics he explained the drawbacks of water management and nationwide water resources and their respective qualities. He explained the hydro-geological formations of coal and how its geochemistry contributes to the overall chemical composition and physical characteristics of mine water. In the latter half of the lecture, he elucidated that under the present scenario of water scarcity, enormous quantities of water generated as a result of mining operations can be purified and utilized. This has been successfully implemented in BCCL.

Dr. T. Gouricharan, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR, Dhanbad delivered a lecture on “Effect of Mining process for selection of coal washery equipments”. He emphasized on the importance of washing high ash Indian coal. He identified four key areas where mining operations produce


challenges on coal washing processes and the technological interventions required to overcome it. He showed how recommendations of CSIR-CIMFR regarding inclusion of rotary breaker for crushing the large sized rocks prior to washing has increased the efficiency of washeries.

Dr. C. N. Ghosh, Chief Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR, Dhanbad delivered a comprehensive and thought provoking talk on “Coal ash as a filling material for underground and opencast coal mines”. He stressed on the importance of coal ash for filling in underground mines at the backdrop of sand becoming a scarce resource and Indian power plants producing almost 200 MT of coal ash per annum. He explained the process of testing the strength of a back fill material right from physical simulation in the laboratory to field implementations when several parameters like compressibility, strength, permeability etc. are tested. He underlined the fact that in recognition of the successful work carried out by CSIR-CIMFR in the field of ash stowing in mines, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Ministry of Science and technology and Ministry of Mines bestowed accolades on CSIR-CIMFR, Dhanbad.

Ms. Pallabi Das, Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR, Dhanbad delivered a talk on “Process intensification- the future of sustainable technology and development”. The talk focused on four main technologies in the domain of process intensification, viz. micro reactors, membrane based contractors, membrane distillation and forward osmosis with respect to their salient features, area of application and further progress in each area. Advancement in the field of membrane technology is a key component in the successful application of process intensification. By describing various design aspects with practical implementations by way of process flow sheets and experimental setups she explained how process intensification’s intrinsic advantages were established - eco-friendliness, simple yet efficient systems, easy coupling with the renewable energy sources.

Pledge ceremony, From left: Prof. B. C. Sarkar, Shri. A. K. Singh, Prof. B. B. Dhar, Prof. D.C. Panigrahi, Dr. P. K. Singh, Dr. S. K. Ray

Prof. B. B. Dhar and other dignitaries lighting the lamp

Prof. B. B. Dhar installing medals and badges to Chairman MEAI Dhanbad Chapter

Prof. B. B. Dhar installing medals and badges to Secretary MEAI Dhanbad Chapter

Inauguration of Dhanbad Chapter

The inaugural ceremony of MEAI Dhanbad chapter was celebrated on 17th June 2017 in befitting manner at CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research. As a result of the untiring efforts of MEAI, Dhanbad Chapter, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh, Chairman, Dr. Santosh Kumar Ray, Secretary, Shri Santosh Kumar Behera, Jt-Secy-cum-Treasurer, other executive members and CIMFR scientists and technical officers, it was possible to establish a center of this dignified organization in Dhanbad. On the same day of inauguration a seminar on “Mining Industry – Future Prospects and Challenges” was organized.


Prof. Bharat Bhushan Dhar, Former Director, CSIR-CIMFR and Chairman of MEAI, New Delhi Chapter graced the occasion as the chief guest in this programme and also represented MEAI President. Among the dignitaries, Shri A. K. Singh, Director Technical (P & P), ECL and Prof. D. C. Panigrahi, Director, IIT(ISM), Dhanbad were also present as Guests of honour.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh, gave a hearty welcome to all the guests and welcomed all the people in the auditorium. He said, “MEAI, Dhanbad Chapter was established with 64 members and there should be 200 members of Dhanbad chapter by December 2017. Dhanbad chapter of MEAI would be the most famous center - this is our goal. "

Shri A. K. Singh, Director Technical (P & P), ECL and Selected-CMD of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) emphasized on the importance of underground coal mining, need of the hour to go deeper so that coal deposits at greater depth can be extracted. He also gave a food for thought how to safely extract coal below surface structure at shallow depth due to acute land acquisition problem.

Prof. D. C. Panigrahi, Director, IIT(ISM), Dhanbad addressed the gathering starting with an inspiring story. He tried to convince everyone in his story of Hindustan Zinc Limited that the challenges remain everywhere, but those have to face stubbornly. He said, "Coal production is a serious challenge today. The share of solar power has also increased significantly. Its rate has decreased. The reason for this is that scientists all over the world have faced the challenges of solar power. We will have to think together with passion for development”.

Professor Bharat Bhushan Dhar said in his ostentatious statement, "MEAI is the largest professional body of geologists. Geoscientists must work together to solve the problems of the mining sector. Everyone should have a very high level of trust. Today, MGMI and MEAI are working a lot in business bodies. CIMFR and IIT(ISM) can do unprecedented work today, because both have resources and the biggest thing is that they have the knowledge. He further said that Dhanbad is the 25th center of MEAI and 60 years of MEAI has been completed. Inaugurating Dhanbad chapter in the year of this diamond jubilee, it is a matter of great honour in itself. After his address, Professor Dhar took pledge from the 45 MEAI members present in the gathering. Thereafter he installed medal and badges to Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh,Chairman,MEAI, Dhanbad Chapter, Dr. Santosh Kumar Ray, Secretary, and Mr. Santosh Kumar Behera, Jt-Secy-cum-Treasurer.

Professor B.C. Sarkar, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, Vice-Chairman, MEAI, Dhanbad Chapter congratulated everyone for the

launch of Dhanbad Chapter and expressed his gratitude towards everyone. He also informed the audience that MEAI Dhanbad Chapter was approved at its council meeting held at Jaipur on 21st January 2017.

National Conference on Recent Challenges in Mining Industry (RCMI 2018)A National Conference was organized by Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Dhanbad Chapter in association with CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), Dhanbad on 28th April 2018 at CSIR-CIMFR Dhanbad. In this conference 150 delegates attended and 49 papers were presented by maintaining parallel session. Shri A K Kothari, President, MEAI and Shri S Krishnamurthy, Secretary General, MEAI were also present in the conference. Shri Ajay Kumar Singh, CMD, BCCL was the chief guest in the inaugural function and Prof. B B Dhar, Former Director, CSIR-CIMFR and National Council Member, MEAI was guest of honour of the function. Dr. Praddep Kumar Singh, Chairman, MEAI Dhanbad Chapter and Director, CIMFR Dhanbad graced the event.

The mining industry in India is a major economic activity, which contributes significantly to India's economy. The mining sector's GDP contribution is between 2.2% to 2.5%. Shri Ajay Kumar Singh said that we need to find alternatives while facing the challenges of the mining industry and work on the productivity, improvement and cost control. Considering the significance of environment, coal should be produced efficiently. There is also a need to take concrete steps regarding land acquisition. The government has to consider socio-political conditions too. He emphasized on the current challenges that the coal mining industry is facing that include land acquisition, environmental impact of mining, extraction of coal standing on pillar, mining at greater depth among others. He stressed on the requirement of collaboration between CSIR-CIMFR, BCCL or industry as a whole and DGMS to overcome the recent challenges.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh, Director CIMFR welcomed the guests and focused on the demand supply gap that exists in the Indian mining Industry and consumers. He also threw some light on the fact that though there are abundant potash reserves in the country we still are importing potash, which is an ingredient for agricultural fertilisers. He again detailed about the abundance of rare earth deposits and the requirement of coal to methanol. He also emphasized on the use of methanol in place of coal.

Professor Bharat Bhushan Dhar said that we cannot obtain experience as a legacy. We have to achieve it through hard work. Honesty and hard work should get absorbed in our blood. Then only we can imagine about development in this area. He also emphasised on the need for a MOU between BCCL and CSIR-CIMFR to efficiently tackle environmental issues due to mining and allied industry.


Giving details about Mining Engineers' Association of India (MEAI), Shri Arun Kumar Kothari said that MEAI has membership strength of over 5000, spread across 25 Chapters in the country. The members include Mining Engineers, Geologists, Metallurgists, Geoscientists, Environmental Engineers and Allied Engineers serving the mining industry, Educators, Researchers and Students. MEAI advances the mining community through information exchange, knowledge sharing and professional development. He stressed on the importance of MEAI in the mining fraternity, which organizes over 100 seminars and symposia every year.

Section of Audience

(R to L): Dr P.K. Singh, Prof B.B. Dhar, Shri A.K. Singh, Shri A.K. Kothari and Dr C.N. Ghosh

GOA CHAPTERAnnual General MeetingAnnual General Meeting (AGM) was conducted on June 25, 2017 at GGVTC, Curti at 11:30 am. Prior to AGM a technical session on “Mine Pumps – Practical solutions” was presented by Mr. Balkrishna M. Chodankar, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, Government Polytechnic Mayem. National President Mr. T. Victor was the Chief Guest on this occasion and presided over the function. Other dignitaries on the dais were Mr. C.G.B.S. Varma, Chairman, Mr. Cletus D’Souza, Vice-Chairman, and Mr. E. Hymakar Reddy, Secretary of the Chapter.

Indian Mining DayThe Indian Mining Day was celebrated on November 1, 2017 at Mining Engineering Department, Goa Engineering College (GEC), Farmagudi. The dignitaries present on the dais were Dr. Ulhas Sawaikar, HOD (Mining)- GEC, Mr. Cletus D’Souza, Vice- Chairman of Goa chapter, Mr. Mahesh Bongale, Member- National Council, MEAI and Mr. E. Hymakar Reddy, Secretary of Goa chapter. The chief Guest Dr. Sawaikar mentioned about the need for students to join the professional bodies to promote their careers. He requested MEAI to play a key role in involvement of students in industrial projects. Mr. Mahesh Bongale spoke on the theme of the Day “Role of Management for Safety of Mines”. He mentioned that though the legislations are very strong in India with regard to safety, still the companies need to go a few steps ahead in identifying the hazards & arriving at solutions. Mr. Cletus D’Souza spoke on the theme and explained as to how there was development of safety standards in Goan Mining Industry. He administered the safety pledge by all the members present. Mr. Hymakar Reddy gave an overview of the objectives of the Indian Mining Day and also introduced the guest speaker of the day. The formal function was followed by a technical talk by Mr. Clarence D’Souza, Training Officer (GGVTC), Ex- Associate General Manager (safety), M/s Vedanta & Safety Consultant on “Behavioural Management”. Mr. Clarence addressed the elements in Safety interaction program and Risk Behaviour (ABC Model). Mr. Akhil Avchar, Asst. Professor proposed vote of thanks. The entire programme was managed by Ms. Yogita Kharkhanis, Asst. Professor (Geology). Over 70 MEAI members, Faculty & Students of GEC attended the programme.

National Metallurgists’ DayGoa Chapter in association with the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), GMOEA and Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers organised the 55th National Metallurgists’ Day (NMD) on November 11-14, 2017 at Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences (BITS Pilani), K K Birla Goa Campus in Goa. A Symposium on “Iron Ore Mining: Issues and Solutions” was organised with active participation from MEAI members. Shri. Y.S. Reddy & Shri Awdeoppan, MEAI members were in the organising committee. Over 40 members from Goa Chapter attended the technical session.

Meeting of ExpertsA meeting of experts in the field of mining industry and Executive Committee of the Chapter was called on February 21, 2018 at 4:00 pm at GGVTC to discuss “Mining in Goa – A way Forward”. The discussion critically analysed all the issues pertaining to Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement on Mining in Goa.


HYDERABAD CHAPTERMINING TODAY 2018: International Conference-cum-Exhibition, 14-17 February 2018, HyderabadMining Today 2018, an International Conference-cum-Exhibition was held from 14-17 February 2018 in HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad. The mega event was jointly organized by Mining Engineers Association of India (MEAI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) supported by Government of India and State Government of Telangana.

On 14.02.2018, the inauguration of Mining Today 2018 was held at 4.00 PM in HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad. The inaugural function was graced by Shri ESL Narasimhan, His Excellency Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as Chief Guest; Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development, Panchayath Raj & Mines, Government of India as Special Guest and Shri K.T. Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, Public Enterprises, Sugar, Mines & Geology and NRI Affairs as Distinguished Guest.

Shri Seri Subhash Reddy, Chairman, Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (A State Government unit); Shri Arun Kumar IAS, Union Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India; Shri Jayesh Ranjan IAS, Principal Secretary & Commissioner Industrial Promotion, Industries & Commerce Dept. Government of Telangana attended as Guests of Honour.

Other dignitaries on the dais were Shri Arun Kumar Kothari, President MEAI; Shri BRV Susheel Kumar, Director of Mines & Geology, Chairman, MEAI Hyderabad Chapter and Chairman, Mining Today 2018; Shri Dilip Chenoy, Director General, FICCI.

In the inaugural function on 14.02.2018, the attendance including VIPs, Special Invitees, Dignitaries, Delegates, Exhibitors, Visitors and public was more than 1500.

Shri A.K. Kothari presented Welcome Address and Shri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar presented Key Note Address on Mining Today 2018. The Chief Guest, the Special Guest and the Distinguished Guest addressed the august gathering and expressed their views on the concept & profile of Mining Today 2018 and its importance for mining sector in today’s overseas scenario. The Guests & Dignitaries on the dais lighted the lamp and His Excellency, the Governor declared the mega event Mining Today 2018, International Conference-cum-Exhibition as opened.

On 15.02.2018 and 16.02.2018, the International Conference was held wherein total eight sessions were organized viz.,

(1) Mineral Exploration; (2) Mining Technology; (3) Overseas Mining Policy & Technology; (4) Mineral Concessions & Legislation; (5) Environment; (6) Mineral Economics, Financing & Investments; (7) Atomic Minerals, Beach Sands, River Sands & Crushed Stone Sands and (8) Sustainable Framework & Prospective Mineral Scenario with Special Focus on Telangana State. The Special Invitees and Speakers from Australia, USA, Canada, South Africa and India have attended and presented their esteemed papers on above subjects. The paradigm of technical papers, deliberations and panel discussions were very much relevant to the concept & event profile focusing on policy, machinery and technology transfer. The proceedings during international conference were highly appreciated by speakers, delegates, exhibitors and visitors.

In the exhibition, 88 entities viz., Private companies, Central & State Public Sector units, Central & State Government Departments have participated. There was display and dissemination of information/data by granite industry, machinery, equipment, cement, quartz & feldspar, mineral samples etc. Delegates, speakers & visitors have thronged the exhibition on all three days i.e., 15-17 February 2018 and appreciated the presentation of mineral based products, machinery etc by the exhibitors.

On 16.02.2017, Valedictory function was held at 4.30 PM in HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad. The valedictory function was graced by Shri Jogu Ramanna, Hon’ble Minister of Forests, Environment & BC Welfare as Chief Guest; Shri G Jagadish Reddy, Hon’ble Minister of Energy, SC Development as Special Guest.

Dignitaries on the dais were Shri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Director of Mines & Geology, Chairman, MEAI Hyderabad Chapter and Chairman, Mining Today 2018 and Dr N.K. Nanda, Director (Technical) NMDC and FICCI. Dr V N Vasudeva, Mineral Resource Consultant presented the recommendations on the deliberations, discussions & panel discussion pertains to eight technical sessions held on 15th & 16th February 2018.

The Chief Guest and Special Guest have presented Mementos to the exhibitors selected as best in display, presentation and dissemination of information viz., 1st price to M/s. Singareni Colleries Co.Ltd; 2nd price to National Mineral Development Corporation under Govt./Public Sector categories and 1st price to M/s. Gayathri Group and 2nd price to M/s.Ram Dev Baba Granites and consolation price to M/s. InSmart Systems under private category. With the valedictory function, the International Conference concluded on 16.02.2018. In the valedictory function, the attendance including VIPs, Special Invitees, Dignitaries, Delegates, Exhibitors, Visitors and public was more than 1000.


On 17.02.2018, the exhibition was open for general public. As the event was first of its kind held in the newly formed State of Telangana, the visitors appreciated the way the exhibition was organized with display & presentation of granite & dimensional stones, mineral samples, machinery, equipment etc.

The Mining Today 2018, International Conference-cum-Exhibition held on grand-scale was well appreciated by the Chief Guest, the Special Guest, the Distinguished Guest, Guest of Honor, Dignitaries, Special Invitees, Delegates, Speakers, Authors, Visitors, Media etc and the event concluded elegantly on 17.02.2018.

Lighting of the lamp at Inaugural Meet by Shri KT Rama Rao, Hon'ble Minister for Mines, MAUD, PR, IT

US delegate in Technical Session on 15 Feb 2018

H.E. ESL Narsimhan lighting the lamp in inaugural meet accompanied by Shri N.S. Tomar, Hon'ble Minister for RDPR and Mines and Shri KT Rama Rao

Keynote address on by Shri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Director M&G, Govt. of TS

Dignitaries at Valedictory Meet. Dr. N.K. Nanda, ShriBRV Susheel Kumar, Shri Jogu Ramanna and Shri Jagadesh Reddy, Hon'ble Ministers of Telangana, Shri Subhash Reddy, TSMDC Chairman and Dr. K. Vinod Kumar of NRSC.

Cultural Evening on 15 Feb 2018


KOLKATA CHAPTERRevival of Kolkata ChapterAction was initiated by the Council members for the revival of Kolkata chapter and a General Meeting was convened in the office of DMT Consulting (P) Limited on September 18, 2017. In this meeting, a brainstorming session was held to invite ideas for making the Kolkata Chapter active, interesting and sustainable. There was active participation of 25 members and potential members during this meeting.

The following office bearers for MEAI, Kolkata Chapter, were elected by voice vote.

ChairmanProf Srikant Annavarapu

SecretaryMr Shameek Chattopadhyay

Joint Secretary cum TreasurerMr R Karthikeyan

Executive Committee membersMr Suresh Chandra SinghMr Ashok Kumar Ghosh

For enabling seamless communication between the members and sharing their views, a WhatsApp group was created and a new committee was formed.

General Body Meeting and Election of Office BearersOn October 27, 2018, the Second General Body Meeting was held and the members present approved the election of the Office bearers and the Executive Committee by voice vote. Twenty-two members and invitees attended this event, which was held at Ecovista, Newtown, Rajarhat, Kolkata.

Apart from approval of elected members, resolution was passed for the following in the presence of 10 members.

1. A savings bank account in the name of the Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Kolkata Chapter will be opened with an appropriate Nationalised Bank.

2. Authorisation of Dr Srikant Annavarapu, Chairman and Mr. R Karthikeyan, Joint Secretary cum Treasurer for signing the forms and documents related to opening of accounts.

Executive Committee Meeting Since its revival until March 31, 2018, the Executive Committee met thrice and discussed the following issues:

• BudgetfortheYear

• ManagingBankAccountandFinancialMatters

• Initiativesforincreasingmembership

• MonthlyMeetingandTechnicalPresentations

Opening Bank Account A savings bank account in the name of the Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Kolkata Chapter was opened with the State Bank of India, Terminus Building branch, Newtown, Kolkata. Dr Srikant Annavarapu, Chairman and Mr. R Karthikeyan, Joint Secretary cum Treasurer are retained as authorized signatories for accounts.

New Membership Between September 2018 and March 2018, the National Council approved six new members from the Kolkata Chapter.

Technical Presentations Total five technical presentations were delivered during the year, as presented below:

18th September 2018: Semi-Quantitative Approach to Mineral Resource Classification by Mr. Shameek Chattopadhyay, Principal Consultant, SRK Consulting

27th October 2018:Payments to Governments globally by lessee of mineral concession by Dr Harry Parker, Past Chairman, CRIRSCO

27th October 2018: Reflections on Regulatory Changes in India and Payment to Government in Mineral Auction Regime by Mr. Suresh Chandra Singh, Consultant

2nd February 2018: Application of Drone Services for the Mining Sector by V Nagaraj, President, Mappa Engineering Services, India

2nd February 2018: Imaging Applications in Geomechanics by Dr. John Kemeny, University of Arizona, USA

Accounts

Income Amount (Rs.)

Sponsorships 39,200

From MEAI HQ -

Loan from A.Srikant 11,000

Total 50,200

Expenditure

Meeting on 27.10.2017 31,430

Presentation 02.02.2018 3,352

Other expenses 2,750

Total 37,532


Technical PresentationA meeting was convened on February 2, 2018 with two presentations on ‘Drones in Mining’ coinciding with the visit of Dr. John Kemeny, Professor and Head, Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, and Dr. Alon Efrat, Professor, Computer Science Department, from the University of Arizona, USA. Mr. V. Nagaraja, President, Mappa Engineering Services, Bengaluru was invited to make a presentation at the meeting. The presentations highlighted the possibility of using drone technology for the collection and analysis of critical data from mining operations to help assess ground movement and stability.

Mr. Nagaraja presented on the basics of drone operations for mine surveying and the currently available models. Drones were presented as devices to carry cameras and other sensors for rapid data gathering from mining areas. The significance of route planning and scheduling and the importance of proper downstream analysis of the collected data was emphasized by the speaker. The draft Civil Aviation Requirements for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), published by Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India on 2nd of November 2017 was also discussed.

Dr. Kemeny’s talk on analyzing the stability of slopes with imaging technologies dovetailed with Mr. Nagaraja’s presentation. He explained the collection and analysis of data for assessing the stability of slopes virgin and cut rock slopes in USA. The use of drones to collect the required data from remote locations and in inaccessible areas of mine slopes was also presented. He also outlined the MoU signed between the University of Arizona and IIT Kharagpur and the projects likely to taken up by in near future.

A lively discussion followed, and the members raised several queries on various issues, mainly on the size of drones, their capabilities and legal limitations on the usage of drones. As UAVs or drones will be the most effective and sought-after technology in mining industry in future, it was recommended by the participants for initiating efforts by MEAI for recommending special provisions, for encouraging application in mining areas, to ministry of Civil Aviation.

The meeting concluded with the presentation of mementoes to guest speakers by Dr A Srikant, Chapter Chairman and a vote of thanks to the speakers and the participants.

Dr. Kemeny (R) receiving a memento from Dr. Srikant (L)

RAJASTHAN CHAPTER- JAIPURThe Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur organized multi-faceted ac-tivities at its Mining Welfare Centre (MWC) during April 2017 to March 2018. They include organizing four seminar/ work-shops, eight technical guest lectures, celebrations of Inde-pendence day, Republic day, Chapter Foundation day, and Indian Mining Day, visit to Kayad and Agucha underground mines, and special event on “Beti Bachao’ besides several Annual General and Executive Body Meetings. Some of them are briefly discussed below:

A. WORKSHOPS/ CONFERENCES / SEMINARS A.1 The Institution of Engineers (India) the Rajasthan State Centre, organized two-day All India Seminar on Skill India-Making Engineers to Meet Demand of Industry in as-sociation with ‘The Employers Association of Rajasthan, Bhardwaj Foundation, MEAI Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur and the Rotary Club, Bapu Nagar, Jaipur’ on May 6-7, 2017 in the Auditorium of Mining Welfare Centre, Jaipur. It was in-augurated by Dr. Jaswant Singh Yadav, Hon’ble Minister for Skill Development, Labour and Employment and Factory and Boilers Inspection, Govt. of Rajasthan.

Chairman, IEI Rajasthan State Centre Er. Praveen Jain FIE, FITP welcomed the guests. Er. N.K. Jain, President, Em-ployers Association of Rajasthan expressed his views on coordination between Industries and Institutions. Er. Anil Mathur, Vice-Chairman, MEAI expressed his views on skill requirements in Mining sector. Er. P.C. Sanghi and Er. P.M. Bhardwaj coordinated the function. In all 17 learned speak-ers having vast experience as Vice Chancellors, Directors of Universities, top managers from Industries and business houses, field engineers in the field presented their expert views in two technical sessions.

On 6th immediately after the Inauguration, First Session was chaired by Er. P.M. Bhardwaj FIE, Co- Chairman & Founder President Bhardwaj Foundation, also known as Motivational Guru, wherein nine experts viz. Er. C. K. Bafna, Managing Director, Kautilya Institute of Technology and Engineering; Brig. Surjit Singh Pabla, President Bhartiya Skill Develop-ment University; Dr. K. K. Singh Bhatia, President, Poornima University; Dr. RoshalLal Raina, V.C., JK Lakshmipat Uni-versity; Rtn. P.K. Tiwari, Ex. DGP, Director JECRC; Mr. Sunil Gurjar, Founder Sabal Bharat; Mr. Shankar, Kaushal Bhav Skill Solutions, Faridabad; Rtn Vipan Bahal, Secretary, Ro-tary Club, Jaipur Bapu Nagar & Owner BB professionals; and Er. D.P. Chirania, Ex Chief Engineer of erstwhile Rajast-han State Electricity Board made presentations.

On 7th May, Technical Session-II was chaired by Er. P.C. Sanghi, FIE, Convener & Past Chairman, IEI, RSC, Assis-tant Governor RID 3052, wherein eight learned speakers viz. Dr. Sandeep Sancheti, V.C., Manipal University; Dr. Pathak,


V.C., KN Mody University. Newai; Mr. Rishi Raj Saxena, Sa-bal Bharat; Dr. S. K. Calla, Dean SKIT Engineering College; Dr. Manoj Gupta, Dean Poornima University; Dr. Ravi Kumar Goyal, Director, JIT Engineering College; and Dr. Sanjay Bi-yani, Director, Biyani Engineering College presented capti-vating ideas and concepts on skill education and its devel-opment to suit the engineering needs.

In the Valedictory Session, Er. Dr. Narendra Prakash Kaushik, FIE, Vice Chancellor, Rajasthan Technical Univer-sity, Kota was the Chief Guest and Er. R.P. Gupta, FIE, For-mer President IEI & District Governor (Rotary International District 3052); Rtn Ramesh Choudhary; Er. Anil Mathur, Vice Chairman, Jaipur chapter were guests of honour. Er. Praveen Jain, Chairman, IEI SC while welcoming the guests, thanked Hon’ble Minister Dr. Jaswant Singh and the government for actively encouraging all the stakeholders for all their initia-tives and programs on skill development and assured on behalf of the organizers to cooperate with the government and undertake proactive programs. While extending vote of thanks, Rtn Er A.K. Jain, President Rotary Club Jaipur Bapu Nagar, voiced the necessity to review the engineering cur-riculum and better coordination with AICTE. He thanked the Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur for providing their beautiful and well equipped auditorium at Mining Welfare Centre to hold the Seminar.

A. 2 A one-day workshop on ‘Skill Development in Mining’ was organized at Mining Welfare Centre (MWC), Jaipur on June 25, 2017. It was inaugurated by Dr. Jaswant Singh Ya-dav, Hon’ble Minister of Labour & Employment, Factory and Boilers Inspection Government of Rajasthan; and attended by professionals in large numbers from mining, geosciences and academic institutions. Special Guests of Honour includ-ed Shri A.K. Bhandari, CEO, Skill Council for Mining Sec-tor, New Delhi; Shri L.S. Shekhawat, COO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur; Shri Rajiv Saxena, JEP, Ultratech Cement Ltd. (Aditya Birla Group); Dr. Sushil Bhandari, former Profes-sor, JNV University, Jodhpur; Dr. B.B. Dhar, Chairman MEAI, Delhi Chapter; Shri Sunil Gurjar, Sabal Bharat Sansthan, Jaipur; Shri A. Thiruvengadam, ADG, Geological Survey of India, Jaipur; and Shri A.K. Kothari, National Vice Presi-dent-1, MEAI, who presided over the Inaugural Session. Dr. S.K. Wadhawan, Organising Secretary of Workshop & former D.G., GSI welcomed the distinguished guests and delegates. He elaborated on the objective of the Workshop which comprised of raising awareness and involvement of stake holders and industry leaders on skill development in mining as per the requirement and the focussing on under-standing the current trends and requirement in skill develop-ment in the mining sector of India in general and Rajasthan State in particular.

In his inaugural address, Hon’ble Minister Dr. Jaswant Singh Yadav while quoting Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra

Modi that ‘if we have to promote the development of our country then our mission has to be Skill Development and Skilled India’, emphasized the need for skill development in the mining sector of Rajasthan. He told that Rajasthan Government is already setting-up Skill Development Uni-versities for 100% employment and assured that if MEAI comes forward to teach skill development courses in mining in these Centres, then the funds can be arranged from the government.

The workshop had two technical sessions. Technical Ses-sion-I was chaired by Dr. Sushil Bhandari, former Professor, JNV University, Jodhpur and co-chaired by Dr. S.K. Parihar. Shri A.K. Bhandari, CEO Skill Council for Mining Sector, New Delhi; Shri M.L. Lahoti, Vice President (Mines), Ultrat-ech Cement Ltd., Kotputli; Shri Sanjay Sharma & Shri Ravi Gupta, HZL, Udaipur; and Dr B.B. Dhar, former Professor and Chairman, Delhi Chapter made presentations. Techni-cal Session–II was chaired by Dr. B.B. Dhar and co-chaired by Dr. M.L. Gupta. Three technical presentations were made by Dr. Sushil Bhandari, Shri B.S. Jodha, Director, Geological Survey of India Training Institute, Jaipur, and Shri Rishi Raj, Sabal Bharat Sansthan, Jaipur.

The Panel Discussions were held in open-house format to consolidate the recommendations and outcome of the Work-shop for the follow-up. Shri A.K. Kothari, Vice President-1, MEAI chaired the panel, and the other panelists include dis-tinguished delegates S/ Shri A.K. Bhandari, L.S. Shekha-wat, B.B. Dhar, M.L. Gupta, M.L. Lahoti, O.P. Gupta, and P.C. Bakliwal. The Workshop concluded with thanks proposed by Shri P.C. Bakliwal, Chairman of the Workshop.

A.3 A workshop on Auction of New Mining Leases as per the Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2017 was organized jointly by Department of Mines and Geology, Ra-jasthan Government; Rajasthan Stone Crusher Association; and Rajasthan Small Mines (Chejja Pathar) Lease Holders Association at Mining Welfare Centre, Jaipur on August 10, 2017 at 2.00 pm, in association with Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur.

Presentations were made by Shri D.P. Gaud, SME, Jaipur Circle of DMG, Rajasthan and Dy. Manager Shri Dinesh Meel of MSTC - the service provider for the Auction of Mi-nor Minerals in Rajasthan. The entire process of auctioning ‘staring from the registration to final bidding’ was presented through PowerPoint and clarified the queries raised by the delegates. Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur appealed to all the leaseholders to generously con-tribute from their CSR fund, for the development of this Cen-tre. Over 150 delegates attended the workshop, which was followed by high tea, arranged by the Associations.

A.4 Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur organized a one-day work-shop on River Sands and its Alternatives on February 11,


2018 in association with DMG-Rajasthan and Stone Crush-er Association of Rajasthan. The main objective of the work-shop was to find the alternative material to replace river sand, whose mining has been banned by Honorable Supreme Court, recently. Owing to this decision, all the infrastructural development projects in Rajasthan came to standstill. The Chief Guest of the Workshop was Shri D.S. Maru, Director, Department of Mines and Geology, Rajasthan Government. Shri A.K. Kothari, President, MEAI with Guests of Honor S / Shri M.P. Meena, Additional Director, DMG-Rajasthan and Shri Pawan Sharma, President, Crushers Association of Rajasthan, chaired the inaugural function.

Shri P.C. Bakliwal, Secretary, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur, while welcoming the guests, after lighting the lamp, narrated the importance of arranging this workshop. The Chief Guest Shri D.S. Maru in his speech briefed the current mining poli-cies of Rajasthan Government related to river sand mining. Shri A.K. Kothari briefed about the MEAI activities and ef-forts being made by the Association to sand mining.

Shri Meena expressed the activities and problems being faced by the department due to sand mining. Shri Pawan Sharma urged the government officials for extending the fa-cilities and subsidies required for stone crushing units, es-pecially for the sand manufacturing and washings, so that zero-waste could be achieved. The guests on the dais were felicitated by presenting shawls. Shri A.K. Kothari also hon-ored all the sponsors and eminent guests by presenting the shawls. Vote of thanks was proposed by Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur to all guests and del-egates attending the workshop.

Pre-lunch technical Session was chaired by Dr M.K. Pandit, former Professor, Department of Geology, Rajasthan Uni-versity, and co-chaired by Dr. A.K. Grover, former, Dy. D.G., Geological Survey of India. Six presentations were made in this session.

Shri D.P. Gaur, SME, DMG-Rajasthan gave a detailed ac-count of the sand mining. He further explained the reasons for banning the sand mining by Honorable Supreme Court of India. Dr. S.K. Wadhawan, former D.G., G.S.I. spoke on the environmental hazards of sand mining and suggested remedial measures to mitigate environmental issues. Shri Pradeep Agarwal, Supdg. Geologist, DMG-Rajasthan dealt in detail the case studies of sand mining from Banas and Kundli rivers and its resulting effects. Shri Vimal Chowdhury, Advocate spoke about the reasons of the PIL as envisaged in the constitution. Dr. Suhas Zambre, Professor, IIT, Mum-bai presented a detailed account of green technology of sewage treatment having advantage over conventional STP. Shri D.S. Chawla, President, All India Crushers Associa-tion, briefed about the problems faced by the stone crush-ers industry, which employs large number of rural population

and contribute handsome revenue in the form of taxes to the government. He requested the government to relax the rules and regulations such as reduction of crusher distance from village to 500 m in place of 1500 m; ease in environ-mental clearance; abolition of royalty on crushed material; and encourage awareness on use of manufactured sand, to promote ease of doing business.

In the post-lunch session, technical paper was presented by Dr. K.S. Raghav, former Director, GSI on palaeo-drainage system of Rajasthan along with their potential for river sand deposits in many sectors. Large pockets of older river sand deposits are available, as per him, which may be mined in place of existing rivers. It was followed by a power point and film presentation by Everlast, manufacturer of variety of weighbridges; plant manufacturers for sand making namely METSO, PROPEL, CDE, and GAWAR constructions. Shri Saurabh Agarwal of LSC spoke about manufactured sand – its demand and advantage over the river sand.

Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur, on behalf of MEAI, thanked all the sponsors, co-sponsors and event & support partners of the workshop as well as to co-organizers and delegates for making the event a success.

B. MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIESB.1 Monthly Lecture Series: Under this, eight technical lec-tures were organized at Mining Welfare Centre, as detailed below:

(a) Shri Anand Sharma delivered first lecture on May 13, 2017 on ‘Controlled Blasting in Jhalana area’ near MNIT for foundation of Bhamasah Data Centre of State Government. His expertise in controlled blasting in the populated area in very successful manner was highly appreciated. In recognition of his achievement, Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman of the Chapter, presented a memento to him.

(b) Second lecture was delivered by Dr. A.K. Grover, former Dy. D.G. and Head, Mission-II, GSI on June 10, 2017 on ‘Geotourism in North East States of India’ in Rajbhasha Hindi. Dr. Grover showed not only the existing tourist areas of India and the Northeast Region but also the geological sites having potential for Geotourism. His presentation in fluent Hindi had large number of illustrated maps and drawings to understand the phenomenon and beautiful photographs of general tourism as well as geological-tourism sites and features viz. waterfalls, caves, various springs, high-altitude and other lakes, Majuli Island, Dauki fault, fossil sites including dinosaurian one, discrete landforms, natural gas leakage sites and ravines, etc. It attracted a detailed interaction with the audience especially who had visited the NE region of India. The lecture as well as the efforts put in by Dr. Grover in making Hindi slides was highly appreciated by all present.


(c) The third lecture was delivered on January 26, 2018 i.e. 68th Republic Day, by Dr. M.K. Pandit, former Professor and Head, Department of Geology, Rajasthan University on ‘Climate Change’. Dr. Pandit showed that the climate change is more due to the cyclic nature of the ice age and warm periods.

(d) Fourth lecture was delivered by Shri D.K. Saxena, former Director, DGMS on ‘Mine Safety Management’. He presented several case studies that were handled by him. Both the topics were of general interest and hence received by the delegates with keen interest.

(e) Fifth lecture was delivered by Shri M.L. Lahoti, Vice President (Mines), Kotputli Cement Works on ‘Sustainable Mining’ on November 1, 2017. His emphasis was more on the mines safety, which also leads to sustainable mining, including health and safety standards, observation or monitoring, safety programs, health programs, pollution and environmental hazards, water conservation and safety regulations, etc.

(f) Shri P.N. Sharma, former DDG, GSI delivered the sixth lecture on November 1, 2017 on a special topic ‘Cosmic Consciousness Module and Brain Programming’. He runs an Institute of Peace, Happiness and Mind Power Development at Jaipur. His lecture included basics of the mental programming and healings. It was highly appreciated by everyone.

(g) The seventh lecture was delivered by Shri Pradeep Agarwal, Suptdg. Geologist, DMG, Rajasthan on March 31, 2018 on ‘Regulatory Framework of Construction and Demolition Waste Management in India’. It was highly informative lecture detailing the present scenario with case studies and requirement for stricter monitoring of waste management in all states of our country. It was applauded by all present.

(h) The eighth lecture was delivered by Shri D.K. Rai, Former DDG, GSI on March 31,2018 on an interesting topic ‘Astronomy and Astrology’. Shri Rai detailed the fundamentals of astronomy and the astrology, which were initiated by our ancestors. Now it is considered as a science all over the world. Being a topic of general interest to all, it was received with greater enthusiasm, followed by lively discussions.

B.2 Annual General Body Meeting: Annual general meeting of the Chapter was held on June 25, 2017 evening after the completion of workshop on skill development. Members of Jaipur Chapter attended it in large numbers. Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman of the Chapter convened the meeting. Shri A.K. Kothari, MEAI Vice President-I graced the dais. Shri P.C. Bakliwal, Secretary presented the Chapter’s report on activities conducted during July 2016 to June 2017. Major achievements of the Chapter included CRIRSCO ANNUAL MEET in November 2016, International Conference in

January 2017, in addition to regular monthly lectures, celebration of Independence Day, Mining Day, Republic Day, etc. Important milestone was completion of Seminar Hall in Mining Welfare Centre before CRIRSCO Meet.

Shri M.C. Goyal, Treasurer presented the Audited Accounts of the Chapter, which were approved by the house. Shri O.P. Gupta appealed to members to use their good offices in generating funds so that Mining Welfare Centre building construction could be completed before December 2017. The meeting ended with vote of thanks.

B.3 The 71st Independence Day of our Nation was cele-brated on August 15, 2017 with great enthusiasm by Rajas-than Chapter-Jaipur at its Mining Welfare Centre by hoisting national flag. Shri R.K. Bakliwal, Patron hoisted the tri-color in the premises. All members with full respect sang National Anthem. The celebration was followed by singing of freedom songs and bhajan on the occasion of Shri Krishna Jana-mashtmi by Shri L.N. Yadav and distribution of sweets with high tea.

B.4 Indian Mining Day was celebrated at Mining Welfare Centre by hoisting MEAI flag and high tea on November 1, 2017. It was followed by a guest lecture.

B.5 MEAI Members Portal installation ceremony was also conducted on Indian Mining Day at Jaipur. Shri Anil Mathur, Coordinator of the portal, explained the details and the ap-plications of this portal to all the members present.

B.6 The Republic Day of our nation was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the members of Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur on January 26, 2018 at Mining Welfare Centre by hoisting Nation’s Tricolor. The flag hoisting was carried out by Shri R.K. Bakliwal, Patron, Rajasthan Chapter- Jaipur. All members present sang National Anthem. It was followed by presentation of technical lectures.

B.7 The 9th Foundation Day of Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur was celebrated on February 11, 2018 at Mining Welfare Centre by organizing a workshop on ‘River sands and its Alternatives’. Shri P.C. Bakliwal, Secretary briefed the audi-ence about the activities conducted by the Chapter since 2010. Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, narrated briefly the details of the construction of MEAI building, including fund genera-tion.

B.8 Special EventOn September 27, 2017 the ‘Beti Foundation’ arranged a felicitation programme to honour 50 personalities under ‘save-daughter-teach daughter’ theme at Mining Welfare Centre, Jaipur. All the distinguished personalities who con-tributed significantly to uplift the society were honored with ‘RCFS Excellence Award-2017’. Honorable Shri Ram Cha-


ran Bohra, MP was the chief guest of the function, which was chaired by Dr. Ravi K. Goyal, Director, Jaipur Institute of Technology. Shri Raj Sharma, Director, Beti Foundation welcomed the guests.

Shri Ram Charan Bohra in his address stated that the way the daughters are making progress on the developmental path of our society by their untiring efforts deserve more encouragement. We can improve daughters’ future by creat-ing equal opportunities in the society. The time of ‘Navratri’, when daughters are worshipped, was rightly chosen for the function on the theme of ‘beti-bachao beti-padhao’. The per-sonalities honored with ‘RCFS Excellence Award-2017’ in-cluded S/ Shri Dr. Charanjeet, Shatabdi Avasthi, Khushbo Kapoor, motivational guru P.M. Bhardwaj, Anchor Preeti Saxena, Interior designer Vijay Maan, Bollywood artist Mo-hit Dubey, Harish Sharma, Karan singh, Bhagisha Sharma, Manoj Soni, Pawan Sen, Aman Satija, Raj Sogra, Bansi Bhardwaj, Vivek Sharma, Nikhil Sharma, Varun Soni, Mukul Jeman, Abhinav Vikas Jain, Ram Rattan Kushwaha, Pawan Jangid, Ayan Sharma, Kunwar Kanak Singh, Rajes Sharma, President & Vikram Jangid, Secretary of Jangid Foundation, Raj Shobhraj, Keerti Saxena, Shobha Sharma, Ambalika, Minashi Vipin etc.

B.9 Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur team visited Kayad and Agucha Underground MinesA two-days visit of lead-zinc mines of Hindustan Zinc Limit-ed located at Kayad in Ajmer district and Agucha in Bhilwara district, Rajasthan was arranged for the first time by the Chapter on September 11-12, 2017 for its members. The visiting team included S/ Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, Anil Mathur, Vice Chairman, P.C. Bakliwal, Secretary, D.K. Saxe-na, Council Member, R.S. Rathore, Council Member, S/Shri Dr S.K. Wadhawan, A.K. Grover, D.K. Rai, Chand Chandna and Anand Sharma, Members. The Kayad mine commenced its construction in 2014, on a small but high-grade deposit. Upon completion of its construction in 2018, it is planned to produce 1.2 Million tonnes of ore per year. HZL officials briefed the team about its geology and mine development plan before escorting them to underground mine, which is fully mechanized, by special vehicle through a decline. Min-ing method includes blast hole open stoping and back-filled with cemented rock and tailing.

Agucha is the world's largest zinc mine (commissioned in 1991) with 15.9% grade. It is a stratiform, sediment-hosted, high-grade zinc and lead deposit. The ore was being mined by open-cast method and now its underground development is in progress. This fully mechanized mine is known for using the 'best in class technology'. The project includes a produc-tion shaft of 950 m deep and two ventilation shafts. Rajast-han Chapter-Jaipur is highly thankful to Shri L.S. Shekhawat, COO, Shri R.P. Dashora, President (Mines), Shri Praveen Sharma, Shri B.S. Rathore and his team members for offer-ing excellent hospitality and arrangements during the visit to both the mines.


B.10 Executive Body Meetings (EBM) The Executive Committee of Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur held several meetings and their details are as follows:

(a) April 1, 2017: The first meeting of Organizing Committee of the Chapter was held regarding the Workshop on Skill Development in mining. It was aimed at discussing the strategy and action plan for the workshop.

(b) April 18, 2017: Second meeting of Organizing Committee was arranged on the Workshop on Skill Development in mining, to review the progress of work done. This meeting was held as a follow-up after the formulation of the skill development committee. The idea of making the MEAI Centre as an examination body for DGMS courses, however, was not accepted. Selection of the courses for skill development in mining, which could be conducted by MEAI at MWC was discussed. It was decided to contact and invite Shri A.K. Bhandari, CEO, SCMS, FIMI, New Delhi for selection of courses and seek guidance in this regard.

(c) May 13, 2017: It was held to discuss various issues pertaining to workshop, fund raising and skill development activities. It was decided to postpone the ensuing seminar on ‘Advancement in Exploration for Oil and Solid Fuel’ from June 24-25, 2017 due to overlapping of various seminars of MEAI at different locations. It was also decided to conduct AGM of the Chapter on June 25, 2017 and a one-day workshop on skill development in mining industry.

(d) November 29, 2017: It was organized to discuss about further postponement of the seminar on Oil to February 2018.

(e) March 31, 2018: It was organized to discuss on the progress of seminar on Oil.

B.11 Miscellaneous Activities a) Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur

along with Shri D.K. Saxena and Shri R.S. Rathore attended first National Council Meeting held at Hyderabad.

b) A team comprising of S/Shri O.P. Gupta, P.C. Bakliwal, S.K. Wadhawan, Anil Mathur, D.K. Saxena, R.S. Rathore, A.K. Grover, Somnath Bhattacharya, Pradeep Agrawal, Chand Chanana and Anand Sharma attended the National Seminar on Environmental Issues in India on July 7-9, 2017 at Udaipur. Dr. Wadhawan presented a paper on green mining technology.

c) Shri P.C. Bakliwal, Secretary, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur attended GST meeting held at Hyderabad in July 2017.

d) Shri A.K. Kothari, Newly elected President of MEAI visited the Mining Welfare Centre, Jaipur in July 2017.

e) Shri D.K. Saxena, National Council Member, MEAI gave a lecture on Mines Safety Management on Indian Mining Day at Rajasthan Chapter-Jodhpur on November 1, 2017.

f) Shri O.P. Gupta, Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur attended 3rd Mining Conclave organized by Ministry of Mines, Government of India on March 20, 2018 at New Delhi.

Republic Day celebrationsRepublic Day celebrations at Mining Welfare Centre, Jaipur The 68thRepublic Day of our nation was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the members of MEAI Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur at its Mining Welfare Centre by hoisting of nation’s Tricolor Flag. The flag was hoisted by Shri R.K. Bakliwal, Patron, MEAI, Jaipur and the National Anthem was sung by all members present. The celebration included presentation of two technical talks by viz. Dr. M.K. Pandit, former Professor and Head, Department of Geology, Rajasthan University on ‘Climate Change’. And Shri D.K. Saxena, former Director, DGMS, on mine safety management.

Flag hoisting by Shri R.K. Bakliwal, Patron, MEAI


RAJASTHAN CHAPTER-JODHPUR Diverse activities were held during the period under the aegis of MEAI, Rajasthan Chapter-Jodhpur. Brief details are as under:

10th Annual General Meeting April 23, 2017 10th Annual General Meeting of the Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Rajasthan Chapter- Jodhpur will be held at Hotel Chandra Imperial, Jodhpur on Sunday, 23rd April, 2017. The secretary’s report & Balance sheet for the year 2016-17 was presented to the House and approved. Shri Deepak Tanwar, SME, DMG-Rajasthan gave a talk on New Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2017, Rajasthan & their impact on mining in Rajasthan. It was well attended by around 50 odds members of Chapter.

The election of the executive body of the Chapter was held for the ensuing term 2017-19. Shri NS Bohra & Shri SS Patel were nominated to conduct the elections.

Some of the members put up their views and opinions. After detailed deliberations, new executive body was unanimously elected by the house. The following were declared elected by the returning officer.

Chairman :Dr. P. C. Purohit

Vice Chairman-I:Prof Narendra K Kahndelwal

Vice Chairman-II:Shri P.R. Dave

Ex-officio Member:Prof. ( Dr.) Sushil Bhandari, Shri S.C. Suthar

Secretary:Shri A. K. Jaiswal

Jt. Secretary cum Treasurer:Shri Y. S. Sankhla

Executive Members:S/Shri Prof. (Dr.) Sunil K Parihar, Rajeev Choudhary, Manish Verma, DK Arora, KP Singh, Bajarang Lal, and Rakesh Acharya

Permanent Invitees:Prof. (Dr.) Virendra Singh, Prof. (Dr.) D. M. Surana, Prof. (Dr.) R.R. Tatia, Shri P.C. Dhariwal, Shri N. S. Bohra, Shri V.S. Mathur, Shri S.S. Patel, Prof (Dr.) A.S. Sheoran, Shri Deepak Tanwar, Shri K. K. Bora, and Shri Gordhan Ram

Committee Chairman:News letter: Prof. S.K. PariharResource Generation: Er. Deepak TanwarStudents Centre: Er. R.S. RathoreMembership: Er. Rajiv ChoudharyPublicity Committee: Er. Pramod LakhanpalOffice Management: Er. M.C. Tater

Honoring Er. Deepak Tanwar

New Executive Body (2017-19)

Celebration of Indian Mining Day-2017Rajasthan Chapter-Jodhpur celebrated Indian Mining Day on November 1, 2017 in the Seminar Hall of Department of Mining Engineering, M B M Engineering College, Jodhpur and the theme chosen for the occasion was “Role of Corporate Management in Mines Safety”. An essay competition on the theme was organized for the under graduate students of the Mining Engineering department. In all 22 participants submitted their essays and the top three meritorious students were awarded with First, Second and Third Prizes of Rs 2,000, Rs 1500, and Rs 1000 respectively.

Three lectures were delivered on the theme by Dr. P.C. Purohit, Er. P.C. Dhariwal, Advisor J.K. Group of Industries, and Er. D.K. Saxena- former Director, DGMS. The presentations on the theme were well appreciated by over 100 people present on the occasion.

Infrastructure development of Mining Engineering Department, MBM Engineering CollegeOn the request of Mining Engineering Department, MBM Engineering College, the Chapter upgraded a students’


classroom in the month Oct 2017 by installing 5 split ACs (1.5 ton) and an overhead projector; and furnishing it with 20 full-length curtains on doors & windows at a total cost of around Rs 2.50 lakh.

Conferencesi) National Level Technical Conference held at Jodhpur on May 20, 2017Rajasthan Chapter - Jodhpur in association with The Institute of Engineering Rajasthan State Centre has organized a one day Technical Conference on “Computers & Communication Technology Applications in Mineral Industry” on May 20, 2017 at Auditorium, Institution of Engineers India, Jodhpur (Rajasthan). Prof. Sushil Bhandari while welcoming the delegates emphasized that a technology-enabled future will be necessary for the mining industry to supply the world with the mineral resources that it needs at decreasing real costs and with the environmental footprint that society expects. Dr. Prakash Purohit welcomed delegates from different organizations such as software developers, mobile application users in mining industry etc. Mr. A. K. Kothari, National Vice President of MEAI, Mr. K.S. Yadav Controller, Indian Bureau of mines and Mrs Suryakanta Vyas dealt with the problems of mining industry and possible solutions. Mr. G.K. Joshi, Chairman, IEI, Jodhpur Local Center also presented his views. Prof Sushil Bhandari & Dr P.C. Purohiot were the conference conveners. Over 125 delegates attended the conference. In all 15 invited lectures were presented in three technical sessions.

ii) FELICITATION Mr. Laxman Shekhawat, COO Mines, Hindustan Zinc, National Geoscience Awardee –2016 and Mining engineering graduate from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur was felicitated by the Chapter on May 20, 2017.

iii) Symposium 2018 at Jodhpur on Feb 20-21, 2018MEAI Rajasthan Chapter-Jodhpur in association with Department of Mining Engineering, MBM Engineering College, Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur organized a Symposium on “Advance Technology in Rock Breakage & Fragmentation” on February 20-21, 2018 in the Conference Hall of Institution of Engineers India, Jodhpur.

The Chief Guest on the occasion was Shri A.K. Kothari, National President-MEAI, Presiding Guest was Er. L.S. Shekhawat, COO, HZL and the Guest of Honour was Mr. Alan B Richard, Australia. Convener and Co-Conveners respectively were Dr P.C. Purohit, Chapter Chairman, and Prof. Sunil Parihar, Head, Mining Engineering Department, JNVU, Jodhpur.

Post-inauguration, two plenary Sessions and three Technical Sessions were conducted. In the Plenary Sessions, six Key-Note Addresses were presented by Mr. Carlos P. Orlandi, Chile; Mr. Allen B Richards, Terrock-Australia; Prof Sushil Bhandari; Dr R.R. Tatia; Er. Ajit Ostwal, Ultra Tech Cement; and Er. Vikash Tahkre, HZL-RAM. In three Technical Sessions, twelve papers were presented by the mining engineers and experts from different organizations and Institutes. Around 120 delegates including more than 50 students of Mining Engineering & girl students attended the conference. The delegates enjoyed each of the sessions. The symposium that was found successful and meaningful, was appreciated by the delegates and the students. The program was anchored by the students under the guidance Prof. N.K. Khandelwal. Attendees to the conference include delegates from DMG-Rajasthan, RSMML, FAGMIL, HZL, Binani Cement, J K Cement, Ultra tech Cement, Ambuja Cement-Rajasthan, NIT, IITs, CTAE-Udaipur, MBM Engineering College-Jodhpur, CSIR, DRDO, Mine Excellence-Australia, Terrock Consulting Engineers-Australia, RK Marble-Udaipur, Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited, delegates from Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur, members from Bikaner, Barmer, Nagaur etc. and the students of third and final year of MBM Engineering College, Mining Engineering Department.


Address by the President, MEAI Er. AK Kothari

Release of proceeding by Prof SK Parihar, Er Allen Richard, Er LS Sekhawat, Er AK Kothari and Dr PC Purohit

Student Centre Activity at Rajasthan Chapter-JodhpurUnder the guidance of the Rajasthan Chapter-Jodhpur, the student activity was conducted at MBM Engineering College, Mining department on April 29, 2017. The member students of mining engineering, MBM Engineering College organized mini conference and presented their projects through Power Point presentations on “DIGITISATION AND MOBILE APPLICATION IN MINING”. The students of 2nd, 3rd & 4th year enthusiastically took part in it. In all 10 papers were

presented by the students in a 2-hour session where over 50 delegates were present. During the activity, delegates from MEAI Chapter-Jodhpur and Mining Engineering faculty were also present to encourage the students. Final year and third year boys, and second year girl students presented their views. Mr. Lalitya Parashar, Secretary, student Center-Jodhpur hosted the program.

Condolence meeting on sudden demise of Prof. (Dr.) A.S. Sheoran A prayer on the sad demise of our member late Prof. (Dr.) A.S. Sheoran was held at MBM Engineering college by the members of MEAI Local Chapter and the students & faculty of Mining Engineering Deptt, MBM Engineering College in October 2017.

Attending National Executive Body MeetingTo maintain harmony among the chapters, the chapter’s executive body members attended the Seminars/ workshops organized by the Udaipur, Jaipur and other MEAI Chapters during the period 2017-18. A team of local Chapter executive body also attended Annual General Meeting & installation ceremony of new President, MEAI at Udaipur in 2017. Chairman & Secretary of the Chapter also attended one of the Council meetings held in NMDC Corporate office, Hyderabad during year 2017-18.

Executive Committee meetings of local chapter Further, to encourage the participation and association of youngsters with the Chapter, Student centre of Rajasthan Chapter-Jodhpur with 20 new student members of mining engineering was registered. Seven new life members from GSI, Binani Cement, MBM College, RSMML, Ex-DMG officials etc. were also enrolled. During the year, seven Executive Committee meetings were held to hold fruitful discussions.


RAJASTHAN CHAPTER- UDAIPURThe Mining Engineers’ Association of India Rajasthan Chapter - Udaipur formed in year 1998 and since its formation, the Chapter is constantly doing various activities connected with mining field. This Chapter presented two National Presidents of the Association and always stood for the cause of mining field, interacting with various Government organizations for solving the problems of mining sector. That the Chapter presently having 244 members and have a fixed deposit of about Rs One Crore, with its own office building.

Activities of the Chapter during 2017-18

One Day Work Shop on “Salient Features of New Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2017 (Rmmcr-2017)” on 8th April 2017A workshop on “Salient features of New Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2017 (RMMCR-2017)” was conducted by Rajasthan Chapter Udaipur in Association with Udaipur Chamber of Commerce & Industries and Directorate of Mines & Geology, Govt. of Rajasthan. Over 160 Mine owners and other dignitaries related to mining and mineral sector from Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota, Bundi, Jodhpur, Banswara etc. attended the workshop.

Shri Arvind Singhal, CMD of Wolkem India was the Chief Guest and presided by Shri A.K. Kothari, then Vice President, MEAI. Dr. S.S. Rathore, Chairman, MEAI Rajasthan Chapter, Udaipur, Shri M.L. Lunawath, Chairman Mining Cell, U.C.C.I. were also on the dais.

National Seminar on “Recent Mining & Environmental Issues In India” on July 7-9, 2017In the Inaugural session on 7th July 2017, Shri Surender Pal Singh ‘TT’, Hon’ble Minister of State for Mines, GoR was the Chief Guest. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of MPUAT Prof. Uma Shanker Sharma, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Shri Arjun Lal Meena, and Shri. Sunil Duggal CEO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur, were the Guests of Honor. Shri Ranjan Sahay, Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines was the Key Note speaker. The programme was presided over by Mr. T. Victor, President MEAI. The Convener of the Seminar Dr. S.S. Rathore, President Elect–MEAI Shri A.K. Kothari and Organizing Secretary Dr. S.C. Jain were also on the dais.

On 8th July, four Technical Sessions were held on the sub themes (1) Recent Amendments in Rules / Regulations / Bye Laws (2) Environmental and Forest Clearances Issues (3) Safety, Health Environmental Issues and (4) Recent advancements vis - a - vis Mining Technology.

In the evening at Aashish Vatika, Hiran Magri, Cultural Night conducted by Lok Kala Mandal group of Udaipur. Felicitation of Past Chairman and Secretary of Rajasthan Chapter Udaipur and Chapter Chairman and Secretary of all the

Chapters, and spouses of Council Members arrived from outside was done in traditional lahariya sarees.

On 9th July, two more technical sessions on the Topic (1) Mining Challenges and (2) Renewable Energy Resources in Mining and Case studies were conducted. Around 300 delegates Participated in the seminar, 25 papers were presented and 15 were kept / displayed in the poster sessions, along with 3 Keynote speeches by renowned personalities.

The Chief Guest of the Valedictory Function was Shri. Arun Kumar, IAS, Mines Secretory , GOI. Prof. P.K. Dashora, Vice Chancellor, Kota University, Prof. Uma Shanker Sharma, Vice Chancellor MPUAT, Prof. B.B. Dhar, Chairman Delhi Chapter and Shri D. S. Maru, Director, Mines & Geology, Rajasthan were the Guests of Honor. Shri A.K. Kothari, President, MEAI presided over the function.

Technical Talk on “Sand Mining in Rajasthan” on January 18, 2018Keeping in view the crisis of sand availability in Rajasthan and impact of different Courts Orders in this respect, a technical talk was arranged at Dept. of Mining Engineering, CTAE, Udaipur. It was presided by Shri A.K. Kothari, President and the speakers on this occasion were Shri N.K. Kothari, Addl. Director, DMG, Shri M.S. Paliwal, Addl Director, DMG and Shri Y.C. Gupta, Former Addl. Director, DMG, Government of Rajasthan.

Indian Mining Day Celebration on November 1, 2017Indian Mining Day was celebrated by the Rajasthan Chapter- Udaipur in association with the Institution of Engineers and Geological Society of Rajasthan, in the premises of Institution of Engineers. The Chief Guest of the function was Shri Narayan Rajak, Dy. DGMS, Udaipur and Presided by Shri A.K. Kothari, President, MEAI. Shri Rajiv Shrimali, General Manager HZL was the keynote speaker who delivered a talk on “the role of management for safety in mines”. Installation of new Council for 2017-19 and Annual Award FunctionInstallation Ceremony of the new council for 2017-19 under the leadership of President A.K. Kothari was conducted by President T. Victor on 7th July 2018 in the presence of Shri Surender Pal Singh ‘TT’, Hon’ble Minister of State for Mines, GoR, Prof. Uma Shanker Sharma, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of MPUAT, Shri Arjun Lal Meena, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Shri Sunil Duggal, CEO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur, and Shri. Ranjan Sahay, Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines. Shri Kothari, as new President addressed the house and outlined his plans for his two years term.

On this occasion, apart from presentation of National Awards of MEAI, Past Presidents Shri. V.S. Rao, Shri M. Fasihuddin,


Shri T.V. Chowdary, Shri Meda Venkataiah, Shri R.P. Gupta and Dr. V.D. Rajagopal; Shri L.S. Shekhawat, Chief Operating Officer, HZL, Shri Y.C. Gupta, former Additional Director, Mines, DMG were honored. A souvenir on 60 years Journey of MEAI, Souvenir of National Seminar and Diamond Jubilee Celebrations lapel pin were also released. Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Prof. B.B. Dhar for his outstanding contribution to Mineral Industry and effective coordination with Govt. of India on behalf of MEAI. The Best Chapter Award was presented to Rajasthan Chapter - Jaipur for its excellent performance throughout the year.

Plantation in CTAE Campus MEAI Rajasthan Chapter - Udaipur in association with College of Technology and Engineering taken up plantation program in the campus of CTAE and 3000 plants of 20 species of more than 6 feet high were planted in the presence of MLA Udaipur, Shri Phool Chand Meena, Vice Chancellor MPUAT Shri Uma Shankar Sharma, President Elect MEAI Shri A.K. Kothari, all the council Members and Members of MEAI present at Udaipur, large no of guests and delegates.

Blood Donation campsTwo Blood Donation camps on September 25, 2017 and March 23, 2018 were organized jointly with Shrimati Sunder Devi Kothari Charitable Trust and CTAE. In the first camp 84 units of blood were collected and in the second camp 111 units of blood were collected. Blood Donors who donated blood multiple times were also honored.

Technology Day CelebrationOn May 11, 2017, Technology day was celebrated in association with Vighyan Samiti and Institution of Engineers at Vigyan Samiti hall with a technical lecture. Two eminent technologists were also honored on this occasion.

World Environment Day World Environment Day was celebrated on June 5, 2017 in Association with Institution of Engineers, Udaipur and a Technical Talk was also delivered at this occasion.

Bi-Monthly News LetterRajasthan Chapter - Udaipur is the only Chapter of MEAI, which is regularly publishing Bi- Monthly News Letter of the Chapter. It contains National & International news of mining world as well as activities of Rajasthan Chapter - Udaipur and is uploaded on our Website.

ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING ON August 13, 2017Annual General Body Meeting of the Chapter was held in the Institution of Engineers Hall, Udaipur in the presence of Shri A.K. Kothari, President, Shri R.P. Gupta, Patron, Shri Akhilesh Joshi, Patron, Dr. S.S. Rathore, Chairman, Shri L.S. Shekhwat, Vice Chairman, Dr. S.C. Jain, Secretary, Mr.

Narayan Rajak, Dy. Director General Mines Safety, Udaipur Zone, Shri T.K. Rath, RCM, Udaipur, Shri B.K.P. Sinha, Ex-Director, HZL and several other members of the Association. Members and guests were felicitated for their excellent contribution in successfully organizing the National Seminar at Udaipur.

Executive Committee MeetingsDuring 2017-18, five Executive Committee meetings of the Chapter were held on 28th April 2017, 22nd June 2017, 16th October 2017, 6th January 2018 and 10th March 2018.

Transfer of 25% savings to Head QuarterChapter has transferred Rs. 12,89,328 as 25% share from the savings of the events held by the Chapter along with Rs. 39000 for advertisement in MEJ to HQ.

Personal Donation by Members to HQThis year, members of the Chapter donated Rs. 3,26,000 to MEAI to strengthen the financial status of HQ on the appeal of President.

Best Student AwardEvery year this Chapter is presenting two awards to the Students of Mining Engineering of CTAE. One award known as MEAI- Best Student Award that consists of Rs. 21000 and given to first position holder of 3rd Year and another MEAI-Tata Sponge- Bhati Award of Rs. 11000 to best student of 2nd Year.

Family picnic & get togetherEvery Year, the Chapter is organizing one Family get-together of members and more than 150 family members took part in this picnic. This year it was organized in the lawn of the Institute of Engineers on 13th August 2017.

Technical talk on Sand Mining in Rajasthan (18 Jan 2018)

Installation of Shri A. K. Kothari as New National President for 2017-19 (7 Jul 2017)


Council Members Meeting (7 Jul 2017)

Plantation by Shri Uma Shaker Sharma, Vice Chancellor MPUAT and and Other Guest (7 Jul 2017)

Inaugural Function Chief Guest Shri Surender Singh TT, Mines Minister, Govt of Rajasthan on Dias (7 Jul 2017)

Memento Presentation to Shri Arun Kumar MS, GOI by Shri Arvind Singhal in Valedictory Function (9 Jul 2017)

AGM of Rajasthan Chapter Udaipur (13 Aug 2017)

Blood Donation Camp (25 Sep 2017)

Indian Mining Day Celebration (1 Nov 2017)

Felicitation of Shri M.S.Paliwal (1 Nov 2017)


National Workshop & Exhibition on "PROBLEMS OF RIVER SAND MINING & ITS ALTERNATE" April 21-22, 2018

RECOMMENDATIONSBased on the technical papers presented in the National Workshop, the Organizing Committee makes following recommendations:1. State of Rajasthan should have separate and

specific rules for Sand: The states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh. Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Uttarakhand have separate policies and separate rules for natural Sand & Crushed sand (M Sand). The Mines Ministry also in Sand Mining framework 2018 has recommended for it. Therefore Rajasthan should also have simple and practical rules. Also, as priority was given to marble/ gang saw cutters in allotment of mining leases, similar priority is given to M sand manufacturers in grant of mining leases. Also common overburden dumps are demarcated and information available on the portal of Mines & Geology Department. Allow the M sand manufactures to carry away the allotted overburden by generating on line rawanna.

2. The rivers & rivulets are classified in the state as per their extension and size: The rivers & rivulets be classified as per their extension and size. Excavation of sand by machinery from small rivers should not be allowed and the sand from such rivers be consumed locally. The authority for excavation of sand from such small rivers & rivulets can be given to gram panchayats.

3. Excavation of sand from large rivers & rivulets can be given to State undertaking “ RSMM ” so that they can obtain early EC and commence excavation to provide relief to common man at the earliest. Small rivers & rivulets can be allotted as small mining lease areas so that they fall within the limit of DEIAA & SEIAA.

4. The mining leases for sand in Palaeo Channel in Bikaner district hardly produces 1.5 million tonnes per annum but it has inherent capacity to increase production many fold. Need is for the State Department to take initiative to locate more areas. Present indication is that Palaeo Channel sand is available in1400 sq. km area. Presently it is being supplied to Bikaner, Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar, Sikar, Jaiselmer, Nagaur and Jodhpur district.

5. After identification of areas, M Sand manufacturers are allotted mining leases for sand:

a. Sand is included in the mining leases for silica sand so that after dispatch of Silica sand to glass factories, the lessees can dispatch remaining material as building sand which is not suitable for silica sand.

b. The surrendered / cancelled mining lease areas of silica sand , granite & quartzite are identified and later on attempts made to lease them out for M Sand.

c. The M Sand plants are allowed mines overburden material at concessional rate of royalty

6. Huge quantity of overburden at Jhamarkotra Rock Phosphate mines, District Udaipur: Huge quantity of overburden is lying at Jhamarkotra Rock Phosphate mines, District Udaipur that is also occupying large tract of land. The overburden material which is suitable for M Sand manufacturing can be utilized for the purpose. It can be a boon to the Udaipur and nearby districts to meet the requirement of sand.

7. EC is not insisted for removal of overburden from mines: Presently EC is required for removal of overburden from mines. MOEFCC is of the view that it is actually dump mining hence it attracts EC rules. The State Govt and the Mines Ministry should strongly recommend MOEFCC to issue appropriate directions in this regard. If at all it is required, District Level committee is authorized to allow such dump removal. As per Wikipedia Mining is defined as “the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an orebody, lode, vein, seam, reef or placer deposit. These deposits form a mineralized package that is of economic interest to the miner.” The word mining cannot be used for removal of dump material. Word mining applies to only removal of mineral from mother earth and not from other place. MOEFCC interpretation is arbitrary and is not legally tenable.

8. M sand manufacturing units be given status of industry: States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana have given industry status to M sand manufacturing units and giving concessions as MSME units. It is recommended that in Rajasthan also similar treatment is given to these units. Also these units are separated from stone crusher category and treated as mineral processing units.

9. Govt. Departments should accept M sand as alternate to natural sand: The Govt. Departments like PWD, UDH and other Govt. departments should accept M sand as alternate to natural sand and include it in BSR.

10. EC be cleared in a time bound manner: There is much delay in grant of EC. Looking to the acute problem being faced by public, EC is granted in time bound manner. The State Govt. may request the MOEFCC for the following:

a. The area limit should be increased as under: For clearance by DEIAA: 0-50 ha For clearance by SEIAA: 50-200 ha For clearance by MOEFCC: more than 200 ha


b. For expeditious clearance, open SEIAA branches at Udaipur & Jodhpur

11. The present limit of 1500 m for establishment of M sand crusher from notified village habitation should be reduced to 500 m. In addition, declare this zone of 500 m as no habitation zone.

12. When the cluster size of 5 ha mining leases remain up to 25 ha, EC can be granted by DEIAA but when it exceeds 25 ha is classified as B I category mines. Then the matter goes to SEIAA. This limit of 25 ha and 500 m boundary limit is abolished when the size of mines do not exceed 5 ha.

13. Suitability of mines overburden, Copper and iron slag aggregate for M sand be investigated: The National Institute for Building Material & Cement , Ballabgarh, the Central Agency is requested by the State Govt. to investigate the suitability of limestone mines overburden including Copper and iron slag aggregates produced in the state in M sand manufacture and its suitability in civil construction.

14. All over the country, huge quantities of construction & demolition (C & D) waste is generated. Only in Delhi some quantity is being used in construction activities. Ministry of Housing has issued directions to CPWD to use such material and IS has also been amended. It is suggested that on similar lines, the State Govt. may also direct PWD to use construction & demolition (C & D) waste.

Member of Parliament Shri Arjun lal Meena, Jt. Secretary, NITI Aayog, Vikram Singh Gaur and others inaugurating the exhibition of M-Sand machinery

Discussions by dignitaries at the occasion of Sand Mining Seminar on 21st Apr 2018

Home Minister of Rajasthan Shri Gulab Chand Kataria and other dignitaries on Dias in Valedictory function in Sand Mining Seminar on 22nd Apr 2018

Home Minister of Rajasthan Shri Gulab Chand Kataria and other dignitaries in exhibition in Sand Mining Seminar on 22nd Apr 2018

The National President, MEAI, Shri A.K. Kothari, replying to the queries of the audience

Family get together


ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION

A brief report is presented below on the proceedings of the 8th Council meeting, Annual General Meeting and a National Seminar on “Recent Mining and Environmental Issues in India” organized by Mining Engineers’ Association of India, Rajasthan Chapter-Udaipur / Jaipur / Jodhpur in association with the College of Technology & Engineering, Udaipur in the premises of CTAE Udaipur, during July 7-9, 2017.

July 7, 2017Council Meeting was held from 9.30 am to 12 noon and it was presided by Mr T. Victor. (Details will be published in next issue). At the outset, the MEAI Udaipur Chapter honored all the Council Members present with Uparana and presenting beautiful marble idol of Lord Ganesha. It was also decided that:

1) the amendments proposed to the constitution by the bylaws amendment committee, another council meeting will be called within two months in which main agenda item shall be discussion on the amendments to the MEAI constitution. Meantime, the constitutional amendment committee may again meet to review the proposed amendments in light of the suggestions made by the members in the council meeting today.

2) the work related to all International initiatives like CRIRSCO, SME etc. will be coordinated by a designated committee viz. International Affairs Committee, and appointed Mr T. Victor as its Chairman for next two years i.e. till 30th June 2019. He following members were nominated to the International Affairs Committee:

Mr T Victor - Chairman

Dr P V Rao - Member

Dr Abani Samal - Member

Mr R H Sawkar - Member

Mr A K Kothari - President MEAI (Ex Officio) - Member

Mr P Rangnatheeswar - Secretary General MEAI (Ex Officio ) - Member

3) to mobilize finances a committee viz. Resources mobilizing committee, was formed under the Chairmanship of Mr B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Chairman Hyderabad Chapter. The tenure of this Committee will also be for two years, till 30th June 2017 and following will be its members:

Mr B.R.V. Susheel Kumar, Chairman Hyderabad Chapter - Chairman

Mr O.P. Gupta, Chairman Jaipur Chapter - Member

Mr S.N. Mathur, Vice President-III - Member

Mr Meda Venkataiah, Past President - Member

Mr A.K. Kothari, President MEAI (Ex Officio) - Member

Mr P. Rangnatheeswar, Secretary General MEAI (Ex Officio ) - Member Annual General Meeting was held from 12 noon to 2:00 pm and it was presided by Mr T. Victor. (Details will be published in next issue)

The members of the Association organized Plantation in CTAE Campus from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm.MEAI Rajasthan Chapter-Udaipur in association with the College of technology and Engineering taken up plantation program in the campus of CTAE and planted 3000 plants of 20 species of more than 6 feet height, in the presence of Mr Phool Chand Meena, MLA Udaipur; Vice Chancellor MPUAT Mr Uma Shankar Sharma; MEAI President Mr A K Kothari; the council Members and the members of MEAI present at Udaipur and large number of Guests and seminar delegates.

Inaugural function of the Seminar from 5.0 PM to 8.0 PMOn this auspicious occasion, Hon’ble Surender Pal Singh ‘TT’, Minister of State for Mines, Government of Rajasthan was the Chief Guest. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of MPUAT Prof Uma Shanker Sharma, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Mr Arjun Lal Meena, Udaipur constituency, Mr. Sunil Duggal CEO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur, and Mr Ranjan Sahay, Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines were the Guests of Honor. The program was presided by Mr T Victor, President MEAI. The Convener of the Seminar and the Chairman of the MEAI Udaipur chapter Dr S S Rathore, President Elect–MEAI Mr A K Kothari and Organizing Secretary Dr S C Jain also shared the dais.

The guests inaugurated the National seminar by lighting the lamp. Dr S S Rathore welcomed all the guests and the delegates to the program. He elaborated the objectives and expectations of the seminar. Mr Sunil Duggal, Guest of Honor expressed that India is far behind the Australia and Canada in the mining activities. He also emphasized that the mining industry and the academic institutions must maintain constant interactions and prepare the academic curriculum in such a way that the students graduated from the universities can better serve the society and the industry.


Guest of Honor, Prof Uma Shankar Sharma said that the mining and environment are two sides of the same coin. He suggested that the minerals are produced with least effect on environment. Guest of Honour Mr Ranjan Sahay delivered the ‘Key Note address’ on the theme of the seminar.

Hon’ble Member of Parliament Mr Arjun Lal Meena, also expressed his views and expected that HZL should come forward for the welfare of the deprived people of tribal area of this region through its CSR activities. He also suggested that the recommendations of the seminar sent to him for onward transmission to the Rajasthan Government as well as to Central Government for their implementation.

On this occasion, Mr L S Shekhawat, Chief Operating Officer, HZL was honored for receiving National Geoscience Award 2016 and Mr Y C Gupta, Retired Additional Director, Mines & Geology, Government of Rajasthan for his remarkable contribution in publishing the Newsletter of Udaipur Chapter, since its inception.

Mr T Victor, in his Presidential address, remembered the invaluable contributions of all the past presidents of MEAI, Secretaries/ Secretary Generals of MEAI and Editor of MEJ. A souvenir on MEAI’s 60 years Journey (Diamond Jubilee special issue) and a lapel pin signifying the achievements were released.

Following Past Presidents of MEAI who were present on this occasion were felicitated in a grand manner with a Silver plated samman patra, Shawl and Uparana.

Mr V S Rao (1983-1986)

Mr M Fasihuddin (1990-1993)

Mr T V Chowdary (1997-2001)

Mr Meda Venkataiah (2003-2007)

Mr R P Gupta (2007-2009)

Dr V D Rajagopal (2009-2011)

The Secretary General of MEAI Mr.K V Rao was also felicitated on this occasion.

The Guests on the Dias released the souvenir of National Seminar and CD containing all the presentations.

Chief Guest, Hon’ble State Minister for Mines Mr Surender Pal Singh ‘TT’ Government of Rajasthan said that he will make a request to the Government of India to reduce the GST on Marbles from 28% to 18% or 12% so that the Marble Industry of the State can survive. He also advised the mining entrepreneurs to bring the problems related to

the Mining Industry to his knowledge for quick resolution at his level and if necessary he will take them up with the Central government.

The MEAI National awards in different categories were presented to the award winners. Life Time Achievement Award was presented to Prof B B Dhar for his outstanding contribution to the mineral Industry and effective coordination with Govt. of India. The Best Chapter Award was given to Rajasthan Chapter-Jaipur for its excellent all round performance throughout the year.

Installation of the New Council of the Association (2017-19)MEAI President, Mr T Victor, announced the election results of the new council for 2017-19 and conducted the installation Ceremony of the new council. Mr A K Kothari as President of MEAI and his Council for the term 2017-19 has taken oath to take the MEAI to new heights while adhering to code of ethics. Mr Kothari, as new President, addressed the gathering and gave an outline of his plans for future during his two-year tenure.

The program for the day ended with vote of thanks proposed by Dr S C Jain, Organizing Secretary.

MEAI Office Bearers during National Council Meeting 7-7-2017

National Council Meeting on 7-7-2017 at Udaipur


TAMILNADU CHAPTER1. 1st Executive Committee meeting It was held on October 14, 2017 at Hotel Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan, Perambalur (Near Ariyalur), Tamilnadu. Executive Committee meeting was followed by presentation and discussion on the following subjects.

a) New Guidelines On Mining Plan Approval

b) Draft National Mineral Policy

c) Star rating of Minor Minerals

d) Indian Mining Day Celebration -2017

2. Indian Mining Day Celebration 2017 The Details are covered under Indian Mining Day

section.

3. New website launched for the Tamilnadu chapter –www.tnmeai.in

4. 25% of Net savings from National Seminar (Minefest-2017) equivalent to Rs.1,21,218 was transferred to MEAI HQ on October 1, 2018.

5. Second Executive Committee meeting of the Chapter was held on February 16, 2018 at Department Mining Engineering, Anna University Chennai. It was decided to conduct one-day symposium on ‘Recent Trends in Mining’ at Hotel GRT Grand, Salem and the following papers will be presented.

a) Financial Aspects in Mining

b) Application of Drones for Mine Surveying and Other Mining Applications

c) Impact of Recent Amendments in Environmental Act

d) Mineral concession System as per MMDR-2015-Anatomy of Mining Tenement System (MTS)

e) Deriving Drill ability for various Rock types

f) Advancement of Quality Monitoring System In Mines Using Tab/ Android Based Mobile - A case study from TATA STEEL LIMITED

exHibition of minerals and ores

Exhibition of Minerals and Ores samples was organized by Mr Koneru V. Rao on behalf of MEAI with the help of KGME Trust on 12-3-2018 in the premises of A.P. Social Welfare Residential School /College, Tiruvuru , Krishna District , Andhra Pradesh .

Mr Koneru V. Rao , former Secretary General, MEAI and Secretary, KGME Trust took active part in organizing the exhibition and also giving a talk on Mining and Minerals Education.

Over 200 students and teaching staff of the institute showed keen interest in acquiring knowledge on physical properties, occurrence and uses of minerals and ores. Most of the students expressed that it was the first time they saw these minerals and ores about which they read only in the class book. They expressed that they heard about mining engineering and earth science subjects for the first time, and they are keen to choose them to further their educational career.

Mr Rao has plans to hold such type of exhibitions in colleges (Degree, Engineering, B.Ed) and other Educational institutions in his region more frequently.

MEAI appreciates the efforts of Mr K V Rao in popularising geosciences and mining in the young brains.

Mr Koneru V. Rao creating interest in the students with his narration of minerals and ores.


recommendations made to niti aayog by meaiMEAI Inputs to NITI Aayog for preparation of a Strategy Paper aiming at creating employment and growth in Minerals Sector by 2022

Objective

1. Assuring indigenous production of adequate quantity of Mineral Resources for internal consumption as well as export and reduction in import while maintaining sustainable growth.

2. Visible social upliftment of rural population through Creation of Jobs and Infrastructural Development in rural areas

3. Ensuring competitiveness of India’s Minerals and Metals industry in the context of an open and liberal global trade and investment framework.

4. Conducive to Foreign Direct Investment as well as Domestic Investment in India.

Current Situation1. Abysmal Exploration of Mineral Wealth: India is still

one of the most under explored Country in the world for mineral wealth. All over the World Private Sector is preferred for investment in exploration of Minerals but India is unable to attract even few of these companies today.

2. Non-productive Auctioned Mining Leases: The experience of past more than two years regarding e-auction regime has exhibited “Winner’s Curse”, wherein the top bidder has failed to execute its mining plan for loss of economic viability due to multiple reasons among which the exorbitant costs imposed by its own initial bid is significant. This has become a loose-loose situation for both the Govt. as well as the Miner, and the nation suffers.

3. Lack of Auctionable Areas with Certified Mineral Reserves: Exploration upto G2 level for ML and G3 level for PL-cum-ML takes time. Adequate infrastructure to undertake exploration upto G2/G3 is not available in the country.

4. Multiple Federal, State and Local Taxes: Numerous taxes apart from Royalty on mineral namely, District Mineral Foundation Tax, National Mineral Exploration Tax, GST, other local taxes and Levies. Presently mining industry in india is the highest taxed in the world.

5. Lack of Investment Opportunities: Several mines are capable of enhanced production but are unable to secure necessary financial resources. Several investors are interested but they are discouraged by non-secure nature of investment wherein they do not get any shareholding.

6. Insecurity among Existing Mine Owners: Mine owners whose lease terms are due to expire in 2020, and 2030 may engage in non-sustainable and/or improper mining practices because of fear of loss of investment.

Constraints1. Mineral (Non-exclusive Reconnaissance Permits)

Rules, 2015 The rules end up removing the revenue source for

Mineral Reconnaissance Companies (or end up being a dead / unsecure investment by a mining company which is not promised a PL and subsequently ML in the explored area). Effectively, this rule has killed all private investments in Mineral Exploration.

2. Lack of Data for Accurate Estimation of Mineral Reserves

Success of any mineral extraction plan in the Mining Policy depends on Certifiable and Insurable Estimate of Mineral Reserve. Errors in estimate of mineral reserve results in deviation from mining plans and makes an investment in mining a gamble in terms of production. Current auction method of allotment of PL and ML without Certifiable and Insurable Estimate of Mineral Reserve makes investment speculative in nature and thus renders the mining policy susceptible to failure.

3. Lack of Upfront Availability of Lease Area and Unified Mining Clearance

Time is money. Current procedures requires a successful bidder of mining lease to get other clearances afterwards along with land acquisition of approved leased area, which have been a source of inordinate delays and thus ends up increasing costs which many a times make a project unfeasible.

4. Excessive Upfront Govt. Levies Current auction rules impose unreasonable burden

on successful bidder of 1% of the value of estimated resources, in the name of Upfront Payment and Performance Security, above other costs. In terms of mining plan which envisages extraction of these estimated resources over 50 years, this becomes an upfront levy of an exorbitant 50% of mine owner average annual revenue of 50 years.

5. Cumbersome Accounting and Taxation While most of the applicable indirect taxes in the

country have been subsumed into single tax regime of GST, mining companies still need to account for and pay numerous levies and cesses over and above GST. The burden of statutory compliance along with stringent penalties adds to cost and time, and results in unnecessary tension and harassment.


6. Highest Mineral Tax Regime Mining sector in India is the highest taxed in the world,

which affects its competitiveness in Global Market and renders many mining projects otherwise unfeasible.

7. Non-Transfer of Rights in Mining Sector GOI banned transfer of non captive leases since 2015.

This reduced the opportunities for existing mine owners to add partners in order to improve finances. In case of captive leases, an excessive 80% additional royalty till the end of lease period, huge transfer charges and performance guarantee charges etc. imposed upon transfer makes them unattractive for investment to the point of becoming unviable. Together, this has slowed down mineral development in the country to a great extent and also decreased the investment and employment opportunities in this sector.

8. Non-renewal of Leases after Lease Period Expiry As per MMDR (Amendment) Act, 2015, the expiry

of non-captive mining leases is on 31-03-2020 and captive leases on 31-03-2030. Mine owners are looking at either loss of investment or significant cost upon renewal.

How to Overcome1. Exclusive Reconnaissance Permits The rules must allow seamless transition from RP to

PL and subsequently ML in the explored area.

2. CRIRSCO compliant Standard for Estimation of Mineral Reserves

CRIRSCO templates are being used worldwide by mineral rich countries for most accurate estimation of mineral reserves that are certified by an accountable competent person. India must shift to using CRIRSCO compliant Standard to achieve parity with other nations in attracting Investment in Mining.

3. Upfront Availability of Lease Area and Unified Mining Clearance

Govt must acquire entire lease area and all necessary clearances beforehand for an auctioned leased area, which shall make mining operations timely and feasible, improving employment visibly.

4. Lowering of Upfront Govt. Levies Govt must consider reducing burden on successful

bidder of Upfront Payment and Performance Security, above other costs by either reducing the value, or increasing the duration of payments or both. In determining the right combination, the overlap of such payment with start of production shall help in mitigation of costs for mining company and thus feel more just.

5. Single Tax Regime with competitive tax rates GST of specific amount or percentage may be fixed

for each mineral while subsuming all taxes and levies. The final levy must be kept low enough to help mining industry stay competitive with the world.

6. Transfer of Rights in Mining Sector at Reasonable Cost GOI must allow transfer of rights in both captive and non-

captive mining leases, at reasonable transfer charges and performance guarantee charges etc., to attract investment and improve employment opportunities.

7. Non-expiry of Leases In order to ensure continuity of mining activity, a lesse

must be allowed to mine until exhaust of mineral deposit. Any increment in Govt revenue may be subsumed under GST.

Conclusions1. Transparency and Govt. revenue has been the deciding

factor in making provisions for regulation of mining activity. Both are necessary, however, the superseding factors should be economically and environmentally viable progress in mining activities to ensure extraction of requisite quantities of available mineral resources for contribution to national security and prosperity.

2. The Govt. needs to think of private sector in mining as its partner instead of merely a revenue source and must formulate friendly policies.

3. As a guiding principle for framing laws and rules, it must be included in the preamble that the responsibility of framing just laws and rules that are never in violation of the other shall be of the Govt. Therefore, upon cognizance of any case where compliance by mine owner to one rule results in violation of other, the lessee should be protected and fully compensated by the Govt. Such intention exhibited by the Govt shall increase confidence in potential mine owners.

President, MEAI

meai ParticiPation in mom meetingMr Deepak Gupta, MEAI Life Member was nominated by MEAI President to represent MEAI in a Preparatory meeting held on 1st August, 2017 (Tuesday) at 3.00 pm in Aluminium Room, Ministry of Mines, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi for the 6th meeting of India- Russia Sub-Group on Mining to be held at Moscow, Russia during September 15-16, 2017.

He suggested that Ministry may propose to Russian side that Associations of Professionals in India like MEAI would like to connect with Russian counterparts for exchange to information on a regular basis.

He learnt during the meeting that participation in the next meeting in Russia will be limited to Government and PSU officials only but Private sector may flag areas of interest and MoM will consider about raising it before Russian side.


recommendations made to committee onnational mineral Policy by meai

Para No. ParagraphComments/Suggestions

2. Basic Features 2.1 Mining for minerals can play a big role in a nation’s long-term social and economic development. Mining can generate jobs and much-needed revenues. It can promote the development of a more skilled workforce and it can lead to creation of new health centres, educational institutions and other infrastructure for local development.

To achieve these benefits a broad and inclusive legal and policy framework is required. Such a framework needs to contain provisions that visibly promote the economic and social development of local populace through revenue generated from mining while upholding strong environmental and social standards.

This is an additional Para Suggestion to articulate how investment in sustainable mining can further Government Policy of creating jobs and skill development etc.

6. Data base of mineral Resources and Tenements

6.1. The national inventory of mineral resources will be based on a comprehensive and up to date review of exploration data. In coordination with Geological Survey of India, the Indian Bureau of Mines will maintain a database in digitised form comprising both a Resource Inventory and a Tenement Registry. The resource inventory will be in accordance with the latest version of the UNFC system showing reserves and remaining resources as well in the traditional IBM form of resources and probable and proven reserves. The Tenement Registry will give information of both Leasehold Areas as well as Freehold Areas in terms of green field, brown field and relinquished areas including areas given up by the GSI and other RP/PL holders as not pursued. The data would be maintained online giving instant information to prospective investors on what is available for reconnaissance, prospecting and mining. Summaries of work done by public agencies will be kept in the form of meta-data in the public domain and detailed reports will be made available to interested investors on cost recovery basis.

Mineral Land Map will be prepared for the entire country and mineral rich land shall be reserved for mining. Any diversion sought for other purpose shall be allowed only sparingly since once such land is diverted, the mineral may be lost forever.

Efforts will also be made to adopt a Globally accepted Public Reporting Standard (based on CRIRSCO templates which is distinct from UN Framework Classification that is presently used for GOI planning and policy purposes) for reliable and transparent communication with investors/bidders that is acceptable to Financial Institutions and Stock Exchanges.


7.9 Small Deposits

7.9 SMALL DEPOSITS

Small and isolated deposits of minerals are scattered all over the country. These often lend themselves to economic exploitation through small scale mining. With modest demand on capital expenditure and short lead-time, they provide maximum employment opportunities for the local population. However, due to disadvantages of small scale they can also lead to sub-optimal mining and ecological disturbance. Efforts will be made to promote small scale mining of small deposits in a scientific and efficient manner while safeguarding vital safety, environmental and ecological imperatives. Regulation of these conditionalities will be tightened so as to control and prevent sub-optimal mining and ecological disturbance.

Where small deposits are not susceptible to viable mining, a cluster approach will be adopted by granting the deposits together as a single lease within a geographically defined boundary. Efforts would be made to grant such mineral concessions to consortia of small scale miners so that such clusters of small deposits will enable them to reap the benefits of economies of scale as well as be amenable to safe and scientific mining.

In mining of small deposits it is equally important to keep aspects economy of scale and occupational safety and health.

9. Fiscal Aspects 9. FISCAL ASPECTS

It will be the endeavour of government, within the context of the budget, to design fiscal measures conducive to the promotion of mineral exploration and development including beneficiation and other forms of product refinement. In the context of the changing mineral scenario and the economies of mineral development and products, both at the national and international level fiscal changes will be examined from time to time consistent with the general tax structure and through the normal budgetary process. Mineral prices should reflect their value and the royalty structures will be designed to ensure that the producer earns and the consumer pays the true value of the minerals produced and consumed. The fiscal dispensation will generally aim to ensure that adequate compensation is forthcoming to the state in return for the concessions it grants.

Government will consider, in consultation with State Governments, the possibility of adopting a unified Tax Regime for minerals and mining industry where all royalties, levies, duties and taxed would be subsumed in to GST (at specially prescribed rates) and Taxes on Mining are to be kept at par with international norms to attract FDI.

It is time that mining industry is subjected to a stable and predictable fiscal regime in place of multiple levies, taxes and funds etc. “Mineral Resource Tax” is suggested that will subsume all the levies and taxes that the industry is currently subjected to.

3. Regulation of Minerals

3.3 In order to make the regulatory environment conducive to private investment the procedures for grant of mineral concessions of all types, such as Reconnaissance Permits, Prospecting Licenses and Mining Leases, shall be transparent and seamless and security of tenure shall be guaranteed to the concessionaries. Tenure will be co-terminus with the mineral resource in the tenement so that the lessee will have incentive to continue secondary exploration along-side with the mining operations. The first-in-time principle in the case of sole applicants and the selection criteria in the case of multiple applicants will be appropriately elaborated. Prospecting and mining shall be recognized as independent activities with transferability of concessions playing a key role in mineral sector development.

Mining shall be recognized as stand-alone industry to promote economy of scale and mineral conservation.

Unless there is security of tenure that is co-terminus with the resource, the lessee will not have incentive to carry out further exploration and at the end of the tenure there is bound to be reckless mining and disruption.

CMYK

CMYK

Felic

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CMYK

CMYK

Felicitation of six Past Presidents (sporting mem

entos) during Diam

ond Jubilee Celebrations on July 7, 2017 held at U

daipur

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