NEW DELHI, May 28: The Bihar government has decided to accord permission for exploration in Jamui district of what could be the “country’s largest” gold reserve, a senior official said on Saturday.
As per a Geological Survey of India (GSI) report, around 222.88 million tonnes of gold reserve, including 37.6 tonnes of mineral-rich ore, are present in Jamui district. “The state Mines and Geology Department is in consultation with agencies engaged in exploration, including GSI and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), for exploration of gold reserves in Jamui,” the official said.
“The consultation process started after analysing the GSI findings which indicated the presence of gold in areas such as Karmatia, Jhajha and Sono in Jamui district,” Additional Chief Secretary cum Mines Commissioner Harjot Kaur Bamhrah said.
She said the State government was likely to sign a MoU with a Central agency or agencies for preliminary stage exploration within a month’s time. In certain areas, general exploration could also be carried out, Ms. Bamhrah said.
The Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi had last year informed the Lok Sabha that Bihar holds the highest share of India’s gold reserves. In a written reply, he had said Bihar has 222.885 million tonnes of gold metal, which amounts to 44% of the total gold reserves in the country.
“As per the National Mineral Inventory, the total resources of primary gold ore in the country as on 1.4.2015 are estimated at 501.83 million tonnes with 654.74 tonnes of gold metal and out of this, Bihar is endowed with 222.885 million tonnes (44 per cent) of ore containing 37.6 tonnes of metal,” Joshi had said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
