Jackpot! Huge gold mines found in three districts of Odisha

Bhubaneshwar, Mar 2: In a huge development, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallik informed the state parliament on Monday that gold mines have been discovered in a number of locations across three districts of Odisha.

 

"The studies of the Directorate of Mines and Geological Survey Of India (GSI) revelation the presence of Gold reserves in three districts namely Deogarh, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj," the Minister said in response to a written question from MLA from Dhenkanal Sudhir Kumar Samal.

 

As per Mallik "these gold deposits have been found at four places in Keonjhar District, four places in Mayurbhanj District and at one place in Deogarh district."

 

 

Gold deposits can be found at the Keonjhar district's Dimirimunda, Kushakala, Gotipur, and Gopur; the Mayurbhanj district's Joshipur, Suriaguda, Ruansila, and Dhushura Hill; and the Deogarh district's Adas region.

 

According to GSI experts, an estimated 1,685 kg of gold ore, along with copper, has been detected in the Adas area. And some preliminary estimates show that 2.5 gm to 10 gm of gold per one-tonne ore in a quartz vein 60 metres long and one metre wide in the Gopur area. The Minister's statement that there is gold in the three districts has given the people of Odisha a new hope.

 

In actuality, the 1980s saw the first survey for the gold resource in the Keonjhar district. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) had carried out the survey in places like Kushakala, Goppur, and Jaladiha villages under Taramakant and Nayakote Panchayats in Keonjhar district's Banasapal block using the technologies available at the time. The survey's results, nevertheless, remained a secret.

 

Then, in 2021–2022, the GSI conducted another study in those areas in the Keonjhar district using the most up-to-date technologies. The GSI authorities remained mum about the survey's findings at that time as well. The find is particularly timely since the Indian government has been on the lookout to increase its gold production amid rising demands and prices.

 

India has three functional gold mines — the Hutti and Uti mines in Karnataka and the Hirabuddini mines in Jharkhand. Through these mines, our country manages to produce around 1.6 tonnes of gold compared to the 774 tonnes a year of gold it consumes. But a World Gold Council report from last year stated that India could ramp up its gold production to as much as 20 tonnes a year over the long term through improvements in mining infrastructure and regulatory reforms.