VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed Mines and Geology Department officials to conduct a comprehensive study on the value of minerals available in Andhra Pradesh. He emphasised that value addition through processing will bring significant additional revenue to the State.
The Chief Minister conducted a review meeting on mining and the free sand policy with officials at the State Secretariat on Friday. He said strict measures should be taken to prevent misuse of the free sand policy by some vested interests.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that 43 lakh metric tonnes of sand was available in the State. Naidu directed the officials to tighten vigil on sand smuggling by setting up CCTV cameras at the State borders. The supply of free sand should be monitored through RTGS, he said.
The officials informed Naidu that a revenue target of Rs 3,320 crore from major and minor minerals has been set for the financial year 2025-26, marking a 34% rise from the previous year, with over 72% revenue from major minerals like manganese. Highlighting Odisha’s model, where value addition generates Rs 50,000 crore annually, the Chief Minister called for estimating AP’s mineral wealth and evolving a vision plan to achieve Rs 20,000-30,000 crore revenue per annum.
He directed the officials to grant approvals for 6,500 pending lease applications. For the marginalised Vaddera community, he mandated guidelines for mining lease allocations, proposing 15% reservation for Vadderas and societies. It was proposed to offer 50% rebate on seigniorage, and premium fee to provide economic benefits and align policies for their growth as MSMEs, he said.
Technology should be utilised for monitoring mining activities in the State effectively. Satellite pictures and drones should be used for mining analysis, Naidu said.
Minister for Mines Kollu Ravindra and senior officials were present.
