Sai said that A National Mineral Exploration Trust has been set up to enhance mineral exploration in the country. And the District Mineral Fund has been created for the benefit of the society affected by the mineral operations.

While highlighting the initiatives of the government to give a thrust to the mining sector in his keynote address, Balvinder Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India, said that the draft exploration policy which is in the public domain would be revised soon to include some critical aspects.

Mining was a distressed sector at present but the government was committed to usher in a new era of reforms to revive the sector, which started with the amendment of MMDR Act, he added.

Kumar said that the government was also gearing up MECL and Geological Survey of India (GSI) to give more blocks for auction. Kumar said that private sector needed to step up to facilitate exploration. The government was working out a detailed plan to allow private players to actively participate in exploration and for this, at present, two options were being considered.
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