Indian delegation identifies forms of cooperation in mining

An Indian government and business joint delegation on the mines sector, led by the seniormost bureaucrat at the Ministry of Mines, Ms. Santha Sheela Nair, visited Mongolia recently. The delegation called on Prime Minister S. Batbold and briefed him about the proceedings of the Mongolia-India joint working group (JWG) meeting and identification of specific issues. Batbold urged the Indian side to aim at mineral-based value addition projects and associated infrastructure development. The second meeting of the JWG would be hold in New Delhi by October this year.

The JWG identified five different forms of cooperation to be pursued to achieve mutually beneficial results. They are: first, technical cooperation between the Geological Survey of India and its Mongolian counterpart in the areas of training, satellite based mapping, targeted surveys and studies; second, technical cooperation between the Indian Bureau of Mines and its Mongolian counterpart in the areas of mineral processing, laboratory scale studies and training, information sharing and computerized ore body modeling; third, formation of a consortium of Indian companies from both the public and private sectors to seek mining and mineral concessions from Mongolian authorities for exploration and/or development; fourth, possible formation of joint venture companies among Government of India backed companies and development of mineral and mining assets including uranium and coking coal; and , fifth, conducting studies on infrastructure issues associated with development of mineral resources.

Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy D.Zorigt wanted participation of Indian companies in different sectors, and the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, B.Bayarbaatar, pledged the support of his Ministry to facilitate movement on the issues identified.

The delegation also visited the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, where the University President expressed interest in collaborating on mining and geology R&D projects, exchange of scholars and students and industry specific research.
source: news.mn