Jaipur, Oct 17 (IANS) In a significant move towards transparency and digital transformation, the Mines Department of Rajasthan is set to implement online weighing scales, vehicle tracking, and GPS-based monitoring systems in the mining sector by the end of this year.

These systems aim to create a dispute-free, transparent, and paperless monitoring environment across mining operations in the state. Principal Secretary, Mines and Petroleum, T. Ravikant, said that under the direction of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the department is progressing in a phased manner to establish a fully digital system.

The online mechanism is expected to streamline operations for mineral leaseholders while strengthening monitoring between leaseholders, royalty contractors, and the department.

Ravikant, along with Director of Mines Mahavir Prasad Meena and other senior officials, reviewed the current usage of existing online modules and the development status of new digital systems on Friday.

He stated that the department is fast-tracking digital transformation in response to complaints related to inaccurate mineral weighing, overcharging by royalty contractors, and irregularities in mineral transportation. These issues not only disrupt operations for mine owners but also result in revenue losses for the state government.

To address these challenges, the department is developing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that will support a fully online, simplified, and paperless operational framework. This, he emphasised, will benefit both mine owners and the government by ensuring better compliance and reducing revenue leakage.

Ravikant noted that the department’s IT team is working on the development of 22 digital modules, some of which — including online mining plan approvals and nodules issuance — have already been made operational.

He directed officials to ensure that all work related to operational modules and mobile applications is carried out exclusively online.

He further instructed the Directorate to monitor field-level implementation and ensure regular usage of these systems by departmental staff.

“The state government is committed to making the mining sector paperless, so that citizens and businesses no longer have to run from office to office for mining-related services,” he said. Director of Mines, Mahavir Prasad Meena, confirmed that the department’s IT team is working at full capacity to finalise the remaining modules.

He added that monitoring and analysis tools are being refined to ensure effective field-level implementation. Additional Director, DMGOMS, Sheetal Agarwal, provided a detailed progress report on module development during the review meeting. The meeting was attended by Joint Secretary Mines Arvind Saraswat, Additional Director Mahesh Mathur, Additional Director Geology Alok Jain, SME N.S. Shaktawat, Pratap Meena, Kamleshwar Baregaama, OSD Shrikrishna Sharma, SG Sunil Verma, ACP Jayesh Ninama, and other senior officials.

–IANS

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