New Delhi: National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC), the country’s largest iron ore producer and a CPSE under Ministry of Steel, has signed an MoU with IIT-Kharagpur for drone-based mineral exploration. NMDC has been exploring minerals for six decades for a wide range of minerals such as copper, rock phosphate, limestone, magnesite, diamond, and tungsten and beach sands amongst others right from the reconnaissance G4 level to the detailed G1 Level of UNFC.

The MoU for ‘Drone-Based Mineral Exploration’ was signed on a virtual platform which was attended by Sumit Deb, CMD; Amitava Mukherjee, Director, Finance; Somnath Nandi, Director, Technical; DK Mohanty, Director, Production, and professors from IIT Kharagpur. The said MoU was signed on behalf of NMDC by DK Mohanty, Director, Production, and on behalf of IIT Kharagpur by Prof SP Sharma, HoD, Department of Geology and Geophysics and Prof Samir K Pal, HoD, Department of Mining Engineering.

NMDC CMD Deb said: “NMDC would be the first CPSE in India to conduct drone-based geophysical surveys and hyperspectral studies for mineral exploration in the country. NMDC’s tie up with IIT-Kharagpur will open a new chapter and set a benchmark in the field of mineral exploration for the nation.” NMDC is conducting exploration for various minerals in Madhya Pradesh and also in Beloda-Belmundi block in Chhattisgarh for diamonds  /BI/.