Lagatar24 Desk
Patna, May 28: The Bihar government has decided to allow exploration of the “country’s greatest” gold reserve in Jamui district, according to a senior official.
According to a survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the Jamui district contains approximately 222.88 million tonnes of gold reserves, including 37.6 tonnes of mineral-rich ore.
“The state Mines and Geology Department is in consultation with agencies engaged in the exploration, including GSI and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), for exploration of gold reserves in Jamui.
“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 told PTI.
Within a month, she said, the state government is expected to sign an MoU with a central agency or agencies for G3 (preliminary) stage exploration.
G2 (generic) exploration is also possible in some locations, according to Bamhrah.
Last year, Union Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi told the Lok Sabha that Bihar has the largest percentage of India’s gold deposits.
In a written response, he stated that Bihar had 222.885 million tonnes of gold metal, accounting for 44% of the country’s total gold reserves.
“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.
