Bhubaneswar: Odisha has set up a model IT application for tracking of mineral production, despatch and value accrual on real time basis through its i3MS website.
This was revealed at a high-level review meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi at the State Secretariat here on Monday.
Principal secretary, Steel & Mines, Raj Kumar Sharma said the i3MS software, developed and implemented in Odisha, has proved very useful in monitoring of production, despatch and transportation of minerals in the state on real time basis.
He said the Centre has praised the initiative of the state government and recommended the model to be followed in other states.
The Chief Secretary directed the department to scale up mineral production in the coming months through close monitoring and appropriate action plan.
Briefing the media after the meeting, director, Mines, Deepak Mohanty said “We have put in place a 24 x7 online system called Integrated Mines & Mineral Management System (i3MS) in which all relevant Central and state mining rules have been customized.
“The software tracks end-to-end mineral transaction like quantum of minerals produced, transported and received by the industries. All the stakeholders like lessees, dealers and the concerned departments have been brought on this portal. It has also been integrated with the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Indian Railways, Commercial Tax, Ports and Treasury,” he informed.
Mohanty further said the daily production and despatch of minerals is recorded on real time basis through this web based software.
“To curb illegal mining in the state, all mineral transporting trucks have been put under GPS surveillance and the roads as well as mines have been geo-referenced. Till now, 392 electronic weigh bridges in 136 mines and 699 weigh bridges in 325 industries have been approved online through this portal. Besides, 2,71,347 e-permits and 6312 dealer licenses have also been granted through it. Around 2.4 crore trip sheets (transit pass for trucks) have been generated online through this system. This website has now been customized for a mobile application for tracking of minerals through mobile app," Mohanty added.
It may be mentioned that Odisha is the first state to have such a consolidated and robust IT application in mineral management. This was been highly appreciated at the Central Coordination and Empowered Committee meeting in New Delhi on December 15 this year.
Following the success of the Odisha government in the implementation of the new IT application, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has decided to adopt it under Mineral Conservation & Development Rules (MCDR) of 1988, official sources said.