KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, July 18: Odisha has clinched the first position in India in terms of value of total envisaged projects as well as in terms of value of total projects under implementation, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday.

Addressing a seminar on `Mineral Junction: The Future Ahead' here, Patnaik said the state was ahead of other top ranking states of the country and was holding the rank for past three consecutive years.

The event was organised by Odisha Chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry(CII).

Sharing his views on National Mineral Policy-2008, Patnaik said the state had registered its strong reservation against the basic spirit of the NMP based on Hoda Committee report and opined that the policy had not taken into consideration of the true needs of the nation.

The Chief Minister further added that Odisha along with other states had been pleading for a more rational and fair system of royalty regime, which will help the state to fetch a royalty revenue of Rs 5000 crore annually.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Dalwai, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of state government's Department of Steel & Mines and Industries, said that from the 3,567 million tonne of iron ore reserves, 26.50 percent of India 's reserves were in Odisha itself. India was currently producing 60 million tones of steel and the contribution of Odisha was 45 percent of the total output, informed Dalwai.

The state government has inked as many 49 MoUs for setting up steel plants and sponge iron units in the state, with a total capacity of more than 75 million tonnes per annum, Dalwai informed, while adding that about 28 of them, totaling 3.8 million tonnes of steel making capacity and 5 million tonnes of sponge iron capacity, were already at various stages of production.

He further added that by 2011, about 40 million tonnes of capacity will be created in the state. Odisha had substantial reserves of other minerals which go into steel making, like coal of around 51,571 million tonnes, dolomite nearly 434 million tonnes and limestone about 1,032 million tonnes

Odisha was not only one of the top mineral bearing state but also had abundant water resources and surplus availability of power with a reasonably good road and rail network, Dalwai said, and added that the state had assured long term reserves of high quality iron ore, surplus and cheap electricity and easy access to major steel consuming markets and raw material sources.

Laxmi Narayan Dave, Minister of Mines, Petroleum, Relief and Rehabilitation, Government of Rajasthan highlighted the mineral wealth of the state in general and that of dimensional stones in particular. Dave further emphasised the need to focus on modernisation of mining to make it more competitive.

The Minister stressed that the Centre should give adequate grants to states for their effective development, and should involve all mineral rich states while finalising the National Mineral Policy.

Ajit Kumar Tripathy, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, Pradeep Kumar Amat, Minister Steel and Mines, Government of Odisha, Sanak Mishra, CEO of Mittal India Limited, Jin Tae Moh, Director of Mines, Posco-India Limited, Santosh Mohapatra, Chairman of CII Odisha Chapter and S.S.Nandurdikar, Vice Chairman of CII Odisha and others spoke on the occasion.