Mining sector to create enormous job opportunities

Aarfa Raput**,,

New Delhi,,

For correcting the trend of mining and geology graduates opting for sectors such as IT, prominent Academicians and Research & Development Bodies of the country today urged the government to tap talent of fresh graduates from IITs and institutions imparting education in mining and geology to strengthen the human resource in the mining sector of the country. Participating in a meeting convened by Union Ministry of Mines to discuss and recommend future road maps in research and development based on National Mineral Policy 2008, they stressed the need on making mining sector more attractive in terms of career progression to attract and retain the best available talent. They said, the National Mineral Policy 2008 speaks of up-gradation of technology through absorption of technological innovation abroad and of creating R&D Centers of Excellence. It is necessary that keeping in line with the policy provisions Government should create an atmosphere in the academic and technology institutions of the country so that young students keep mining career as a priority while choosing options. The participants in the discussion also emphasized the need for adopting holistic approach while dealing with human resource in the sector for long term growth. In this context, some experts suggested fine tuning of the curriculum in academic institutions to build mining as a career option right from the beginning. They were of the view that all prominent technology institutions in mineral rich States should have mining departments.

The Secretary, Ministry of Mines Smt. Santha Sheela Nair in her opening remarks in the meeting admitted that there is a shortage of skilled manpower in the mining and geology sector and the sector also requires state of the art technology for future growth. She said, though the requirement of the skilled manpower in Geological Survey of India is about 300 experts per year, it gets merely 75 geologists in a year. Mining companies were requested to give campus recruitments process a serious boost.

Representatives of IIT Kharagpur, ISM Dhanbad, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi, IIT Mumbai, IIT Bhubaneswar, JNARDDC Nagpur, NFTDC Hyderabad, NALCO, HCL and Ministries of Human Resources Developments, Earth Sciences and Science & Technology participated in the meeting which convened for the first time under the banner of Forum for Interaction with Academic and Research Bodies, FIARB.

INVC-The Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Smt. Shanta Sheela Nair chairing the first Meeting of Forum for Interaction with Academic and Research Bodies (FIARB) engaged in Geology and Mining Engineering, in New Delhi

INVC-The Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Smt. Shanta Sheela Nair chairing the first Meeting of Forum for Interaction with Academic and Research Bodies (FIARB) engaged in Geology and Mining Engineering, in New Delhi on March 10, 2010. The Additional Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Shri Ashok Thakur and the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Shri Sundeep Kumar Nayak are also seen.

Aarfa rajput**

** lecturar & Ph.D scholar in Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University)New Delhi[She is also Radio anchor on AIR & Jamia Community Radio.]

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Tags:  Earth Sciences and Science & Technology, Forum for Interaction with Academic and Research Bodies (FIARB), HCL and Ministries of Human Resources Developments, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Mumbai, ISM Dhanbad, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi, JNARDDC Nagpur, Mining sector to create enormous job opportunities, Mining sector to create enormous jSecretary, Ministry of Mines Smt. Santha Sheela Nair ob opportunities, NALCO, NFTDC Hyderabad, Representatives of IIT Kharagpur