NMDC, IIT Kharagpur join hands for drone-based mineral exploration

New Delhi [India], March 19 : National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), the country's largest iron ore producer, said on Saturday it has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur for drone-based mineral exploration.
As per the deal, NMDC and IIT Kharagpur would develop spectral products, methods, and algorithms for exploration using the Drone (UAV) for mining. The collaboration between NMDC and IIT Kharagpur would further lead to the development of software spectral tools for mineral excavation and capacity-building programmes on mining technology.
"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's Chairman and Managing Director Sumit Deb said in a statement.
NMDC, a central public sector undertaking (CPSE) under the Ministry of Steel, has been exploring minerals for six decades for a wide range of minerals such as Copper, Rock phosphate, Limestone, magnesite, Diamond, Tungsten, and Beach sands amongst others.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Steel, NMDC is conducting exploration for various minerals in Madhya Pradesh and also in the Beloda-Belmundi block in Chhattisgarh for diamonds.
"NMDC is also the first CPSE to use Space Geophysics in Central Indian Diamond Province and the first to use online monitoring of exploration of data on the BHUVAN platform. NMDC is increasingly relying on technological innovation and digitalisation of its database related to exploration and mining," the ministry said.