Minerals are valuable natural resources being both finite and non-renewable. India, gifted with vast mineral resources, produces about 87 minerals, the products of mining are required for the power, steel, cement and infrastructure industries, which have a great impact on the growth of the economy and GDP. However, the contribution of the mining sector to the India’s GDP has been reduced to 2% in 2011-12 from 3.4% in 1992-93. I believe the major reasons for declined growth are:
- Lack of use of information technology [IT] in mining.
- Lack of skilled workforce.
- Delay in granting mining projects by the Government.
- Not using modern mining machinery.
Improvements are a must for economic mining; hence I believe my studies will definitely help in achieving the improvement of productivity in mines. Analyzing reasons for the decline of growth will help to assess the requirements for the improvement of productivity in mines.
- Lack of use of IT in mining.
At present very few mines in India uses the IT for the control, management, direction and supervision of mining activities. The real time measurement of production using sensors and computers (online data feeding from dispatch conveyor or tippler where coal is dumped) can enable a mine manager to be proactive instead of doing production analysis at the end of the shift. The use of IT saves plenty of time to ensure the following:
- Manage master data like customer, materials, comprehensive price master at contract level as well as tax and duty setups with the ability to revise / compute price, tax and duty master automatically as and when required to comply with regulations and assay characteristics.
- Control of error free processing cycle time, plug revenue leakages and improve auditability.
- Tracking of production, finished products, stockpile, inventory, and shipment at different locations controls stock transfer from one location to the other thereby helping the seller fulfill demands of customer with in the specified time limits.
- Centralized information storage and retrieval, removes information silos.
- Improves Business Services communications with customers.
- Aligns and harmonizes best business practices followed globally.
- Lack of skilled workforce.
- People don’t prefer working at the mine due to remote site locations, lack of communication facilities, and leading to acute shortage of skilled workforce.
- To attract skilled workforce at mines, the basic facilities and wages have to be increased.
- Delay in granting mining projects by the Government.
- Using Single window clearance system for grant of mining projects, Environment, Forest and Pollution Control Board clearances, will save plenty of time, funds and efforts of mine owners there by allowing them to concentrate more on planning of better safe mining practices.
- Promoting the best possible National Mineral policy for betterment of country.
- Not using modern mining machinery.
- Mechanization improves the mineral recovery, productivity and safety in the mines.
- The world wide successful Mining machinery failed to perform in India, because of not providing adequate education and basic training to the operators.
- My studies with usage of SAP will help the present scenario of Mining to achieve better
- Safety and productivity with due regard to mine environment and society.
- Systematic scientific mining at par with international standards.
- Recovery percentages of mineral extraction and ensuring optimum mineral conservation.
- Mining methodology and mineral beneficiation for extraction of low grade minerals economically.
- Automation and Remote control mining / robotic mining can be achieved where the ground controlling and safe mine environment is not possible for the safe deployment of miners.
