Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to undertake statewide mineral mapping, promote value addition and establish a rare earth minerals cluster to boost revenue and employment.
Amaravati: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to undertake comprehensive mineral mapping across Andhra Pradesh to identify high-value mineral deposits and formulate a policy focused on mineral value addition to enhance revenue and employment generation.
Reviewing the performance of the Mines Department at the Camp Office on Sunday, the Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh possesses abundant mineral resources that can significantly contribute to the state's economy if properly explored and processed. He suggested that the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) examine opportunities for market capitalisation of valuable mineral assets with the support of domain experts.
Naidu emphasized that greater value addition should be carried out within the state rather than exporting raw minerals. He noted that minerals such as beach sand, rare earth minerals, iron ore, manganese and alumina offer enormous economic potential when processed locally, creating industries, employment and higher revenues.
The Chief Minister also proposed establishing a Rare Earth Minerals Cluster by leveraging the mineral resources available in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala. He directed officials to assess reserves of strategic minerals such as titanium, ilmenite and monazite, which are widely used in electronics, high-performance magnets, clean energy technologies, nuclear applications and defence manufacturing.
Highlighting the state's gold mining potential, Naidu instructed officials to undertake detailed studies of gold reserves at Jonnagiri and Chigurugunta, besides exploring other mineral blocks for future commercial development.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that 126 locations containing critical, bulk and other valuable minerals have already been identified across the state. They also reported an 18 per cent increase in mining revenue due to improved mining operations and enhanced monitoring.
Calling for stricter regulation of mining activities, the Chief Minister directed officials to strengthen monitoring mechanisms and maximise revenue from the state's mineral wealth. He ordered the deployment of advanced technologies, including CCTV surveillance at sand reaches, satellite imagery for regular monitoring and GPS tracking of sand-transport vehicles, to ensure transparency in sand mining and supply.
Naidu observed that the government is foregoing nearly Rs.1,000 crore in annual revenue by providing sand free of cost to the public. He instructed officials to ensure the free sand policy is implemented transparently and that its benefits reach genuine beneficiaries without misuse or illegal diversion.
Minister for Mines Kollu Ravindra, Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, Principal Secretaries Mukesh Kumar Meena (Mines) and Piyush Kumar (Finance), along with senior officials, attended the review meeting.
