State enters uranium mining

Rajasthan has come on the world map with huge reserves of uranium, found at Rohil (Khandela Tehsil) in Sikar district, which is over 120 km from state capital Jaipur.

After Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan is the third state where uranium — which is considered one of the rare minerals in the world — has been found.

The Rajasthan government has forayed into the field of uranium mining by issuing a letter of intent (LOI) to Uranium Corporation of India. The LOI is for excavation of ore of this rare mineral in the state. Mining of the rare mineral will start after fulfilling necessary formalities.

Mines and petroleum minister Pramod Jain Bhaya called the decision of uranium excavation a big achievement in the field of mining in the state.

Additional chief secretary — mines and petroleum — Subodh Agarwal said uranium mining has opened up new opportunities for investment, revenue and employment.

He said chief minister Ashok Gehlot, during review meetings of the mines department, always emphasised on expanding mineral exploration and mining activities.

According to initial estimates, there may be around 12 million tonnes of uranium deposits.

A senior official of the mines department said Uranium Corporation will invest around ~3,000 crore for mining activities. This project will give direct and indirect employment to around 3,000 people. It would also pave the way for setting up ancillary industries, based on the by-products in the area.

Currently, excavation of uranium is going on at Jadugoda in Jharkhand as well as Andhra Pradesh.

The largest producers of uranium in the world are Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia, while this mineral has also been found in Niger, Russia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, the US and Ukraine.

Uranium is mainly used for generating electricity and also for nuclear energy, medicines, defence equipment and photography, among others.