MOIL, Madhya Pradesh govt, MPSMCL sign pact to explore manganese ore reserves

State-owned MOIL on Friday said it has signed a pact with the Madhya Pradesh government and the Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation Ltd (MPSMCL) to explore the options of manganese ore mining in four districts of the state. The four districts of Madhya Pradesh are Balaghat, Jabalpur, Jhabua, and Chhindwara, MOIL said in a statement.
"MOIL has signed a tripartite MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation Limited (MPSMCL) to explore the possibilities of manganese ore mining in Balaghat, Jabalpur, Jhabua, and Chhindwara districts," it said.

MOIL has carried out detailed remote sensing studies with the help of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) ISRO, Hyderabad, in order to identify the manganese-bearing areas.

Based on the study carried out by NRSC, MOIL said it has also carried out extensive fieldwork, followed by geological mapping, sampling, and their petrological and chemical analysis for delineation of manganese ore-bearing areas in the site specified by NRSC.

The company has also requested to the Government of Madhya Pradesh for reservation of the area.

"Accordingly, the Madhya Pradesh government has reserved 850 sq km and 487 sq km areas in Balaghat and Chhindwara districts respectively, under Rule 67 (1) of the Mineral (Other than Atomic and Hydrocarbon Energy) Mineral Concession Rules, 2016 to carry out exploration work.

"This will enable MOIL to take up exploration projects in the reserved areas of Balaghat and Chhindwara districts. Applications for Jabalpur and Jabua are in process," MOIL said.

MOIL Ltd, under the Ministry of Steel, is the largest producer of manganese ore in the country. The company owns and operates 11 mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.