Bhubaneswar: To expedite and facilitate the mineral exploration programme, recently the Steel & Mines Department commissioned highly advanced and scientific XRD & XRF Laboratory in the Directorate of Geology, Bhubaneswar. For the very first time, this type of laboratory is procured by the Government of Odisha.
The Directorate of Geology comes under the administrative control of the Department of Steel & Mines, Govt. of Odisha. This department acts as the nodal agency for the exploration and assessment of mineral resources in the state. Odisha is bestowed with a good number of mineral deposits like Chromite, Bauxite, Graphite, Iron ore, Manganese, Coal, Gemstones, Limestone, China clay, and many more. Due to the relentless efforts of the officers of this Directorate, Odisha is reckoned as a most prolific mineral-producing state in the country. Now the exploration work is in auction mode and the prime responsibility of the Directorate of Geology is to identify and assess the minerals blocks for auction.
The XRD & XRF Laboratory will step up the analytical aspect of rocks and minerals which in turn will accelerate the auction process.
XRD (X-Ray diffraction) machine will precisely identify the mineral phase whereas XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) is for elemental analysis of rocks/ores instantly. Both the instruments cost around five cores rupees.
The mineral exploration programme is surely going to get a boost with the commissioning of these instruments. The grade determination will be more accurate and the analytical time frame will be much less which in turn will lead to enhance overall royalty gain of the state. This Laboratory will not only cater to the need of the Directorate but will be of immense help for research students and all mining agencies operating in the State.
Honorable Minister, Steel & Mines, Sri Prafulla Kumar Mallik inaugurated the laboratory on 04.102.2021 in the presence of D.K Singh, Principal Secretary to Govt. of Odisha; Debidutta Biswal, Director of Mines; Balwant Singh, Managing Director, OMC; M. R. Panda, Director of Geology; M.R. Mahapatra, Additional Director Geology; Dr. Prabal Kumar Chand, Joint Director Geology; Md. Q. Jamal Khan, Deputy Director Geology; Smt. Subhra Sunayana Aich, Geologist; Smt. Monica Ghana, Geologist; Smt. Santosini Swain, Geologist and other senior officers of Directorate.
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