Jaipur, Dec 9 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Tuesday reviewed the performance of the Mines and Petroleum Department, stressing that establishing Rajasthan as a national leader in the mining sector is a top priority for the state government.

He instructed officials to meet revenue targets on time and to take stringent action against illegal mining.

“The mining sector is vital to Rajasthan’s development and creates substantial local employment. No individual involved in illegal mining will be spared,” the Chief Minister said during the meeting held at the CMO.

Sharma directed the department to identify new mineral blocks using advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and to study best practices adopted by other mineral-rich states.

He further called for greater transparency in the auction process and stronger coordination between the police, transport, and mines departments to curb illegal activities.

Monitoring will be strengthened through drone surveys and expanded geo-fencing of mine lease areas.

Reiterating the government’s focus on promoting legal mining, the Chief Minister said that increasing the production of M-sand as an eco-friendly substitute for river sand is a major policy priority. Under the M-Sand Policy 2024, incentives have encouraged entrepreneurs to set up several new units.

Officials have been instructed to monitor their progress regularly and explore additional mineral resource opportunities.

Officials apprised the Chief Minister of key reforms undertaken, including the formation of an Environment Protection and Illegal Mining Monitoring Committee, the deployment of Border Home Guards in sensitive areas and creation of a task force to prevent misuse of e-challans and transit passes To improve revenue collection, the department is mandating GPS – and RFID-enabled vehicles for mineral transportation and standardising software across empanelled weighbridges.

AI cameras and sensor-based surveillance systems are also being installed, they added.

Earlier, Principal Secretary (Mines) T. Ravikanth presented the department’s progress report. Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar Sharma and senior officials from related departments were also present.

–IANS

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