Natural resources of India

Resources are classified as either biotic or abiotic on the basis of their origin. The Indian landmass contains a multitude of both types of resource and its economy, especially in rural areas, is heavily dependent on their consumption or export. Due to overconsumption, they are rapidly being depleted.

General

The total cultivable area in India is 1,945,355  km² (56.78% of it total land area), which is shrinking due to population pressures, desertification and rapid urbanisation. India has a total water surface area of 360,400 km².

India's major mineral resources include coal (4th largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese ore (7th largest reserve in the world as in 2013), mica, bauxite (5th largest reserve in the world as in 2013), chromite, natural gas, diamonds, limestone and thorium. India's oil reserves, found in Bombay High off the coast of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and in eastern Assam meet 25% of the country's demand.

A national level agency National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) was established in 1983 for integrated natural resources management in the country. It is supported by Planning Commission (India) and Department of Space.

Biotic resources

Biotic resources are obtained from living and organic material. These include forest products, wildlife, crops and other living organisms. Most of these resources are renewable because they can be regenerated by themselves. Fossil fuels are considered as biotic because they are formed from decayed organic matter. Fossil fuels are non-renewable.

Population

India is the second most populated country in the world after China. India is projected to overtake China to become the world's most populous country by 2027.

Forestry

India's land area includes regions with high rainfall to dry deserts, coastline to mountainous regions. Total forest and tree cover is 24.56% of the geographical area of the country. Due to variations in climatic conditions and differences in altitude, different types of forest are present in India including tropical, swamp, mangrove and alpine. Forests are the main source of firewood, paper, spices, drugs, herbs, gums and many more. Forestry contribute a significant amount in nation's economy.

Fish

Fishing in India is a major industrial employment for about 14.5 million people. India ranks second in aquaculture and third in fisheries production. Fisheries contributes to 1.07% of the Total GDP of India. According to Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, fish production increased from 7.52 lakh tonnes in year 1950-51 to 125.90 lakh tonnes in year 2018-19, increase in seventeen times. India has a long history in fishing and aquaculture. It has rich feathers and inland silicon resources, and a 7516.6 km long coastline. Inland fishery is carried out in Rivers, Resources and Lakes. In Indian rivers more than 400 species of fish are found, many of which are economically important. Shrimp, sardines, mackerels, carangid, croakers and other varieties are available. Major fish species available are carp, catfish, murrel and weed fish. India is one of the major marine fish producers. In 2012–2013, 9 lakh tonnes of marine products was exported.

Energy Reserves

Coal

Coal mining in India started in 1774 through the East India Company in the Raniganj Coalfield, which is along the western bank of the Damodar River in the Indian state of West Bengal. Growth of Indian coal mining started when steam locomotives were introduced in 1853. Production increased to million tonnes. Production reached 30 million tonnes in 1946. After Independence, the National Coal Development Corporation was set up and colleries were owned by the railways. India consumes coal mainly for the power sector. Other industries like cement, fertilizer, chemical and paper rely on coal for energy.

Oil

India had about 100 million tonnes of proven oil reserves as of April 1978, or 1 billion barrels as per EIA estimate for 2020, which is the second-largest amount in the Asia-Pacific region behind China. Most of India's crude oil reserves are located on the western coast (Mumbai High) and in the southeastern parts of the country, although considerable undeveloped reserves are also located in the offshore Bay of Bengal and in the state of Rajasthan. The combination of rising oil consumption and fairly unwavering production levels leaves India highly dependent on imports to meet its consumption needs. In 2010, India produced an average of about 33.69 million tonnes of crude oil as of April 2010 or 877 thousand barrels per day as per EIA estimate of 2009. During 2006, India consumed an estimated of oil. The EIA estimates that India registered oil demand growth of during 2006. As of 2013 India Produces 30% of India's resources mostly in Rajasthan.

India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is the largest oil company in India. ONGC is the leading sport in India's downstream sector, accounting for roughly 1% of the country's oil output during 2023, as per Indian government estimates. As a net importer of all oil, the Indian Government has introduced policies aimed at growing domestic oil production and oil exploration activities. As part of the effort, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas crafted the New Exploration License Policy (NELP) in 2000, which permits foreign companies to hold 100% equity possession in oil and natural gas projects. However, to date, only a handful of oil fields are controlled by foreign firms. India's downstream sector is also dominated by state-owned entities, though private companies have enlarged their market share in past recent years.

Natural gas

As per the Ministry of Petroleum, Government of India, India has of confirmed natural gas reserves as of April 2010. A huge mass of India's natural gas production comes from the western offshore regions, particularly the Mumbai High complex. The onshore fields in Assam, tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat states are also major producers of natural gas. As per EIA data, India produced of natural gas in 2004.
India imports small amounts of natural gas. In 2004, India consumed about of natural gas, the first year in which the country showed net natural gas imports. During 2004, India imported of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar.

As in the oil sector, India's state-owned companies account for the bulk of natural gas production. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Limited. are the leading companies with respect to production volume, while some foreign companies take part in upstream developments in joint-ventures and production sharing contracts. Reliance Industries, a privately owned Indian company, also has a role in the natural gas sector as a result of a large natural gas find in 2002 in the Krishna Godavari basin.

The Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) holds an effective control on natural gas transmission and allocation activities. In December 2006, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued a new policy that allows foreign investors, private domestic companies, and Government oil companies to hold up to 100% equity stakes in pipeline projects. While GAIL's domination in natural gas transmission and allocation is not ensured by statute, it will continue to be the leading player in the sector because of its existing natural gas infrastructure.

Nuclear

India's proven nuclear reserves include uranium and thorium.

Uranium

In Nalgonda District, the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Reserve (the only tiger project in Telangana) has been forced to surrender over 3,000 sq. kilometres to uranium mining, following a directive from the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests.

In 2007, India was able to extract 229 tonnes of U₃O₈ from its soil.
On 19 July 2011, Indian officials announced that the Tumalapalli mine in the Andhra Pradesh state of India could provide more than 170,000 tonnes of uranium, making it the world's largest uranium mine. Production of the ore is slated to begin in 2012.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) recently discovered that the upcoming mine in Tumalapalli has close to 49,000 tonnes of uranium reserves. This could help India's nuclear power aspirations as it is three times the original estimate of the area's deposits.

Thorium

The IAEA's 2005 report estimates India's reasonably assured reserves of thorium at 319,000 tonnes, but mentions recent reports of India's reserves at 650,000 tonnes. A government of India estimate, shared in the country's Parliament in August 2011, puts the recoverable reserve at 846,477 tonnes. The Indian Minister of State V. Narayanasamy stated that as of May 2013, the country's thorium reserves were 11.93 million tonnes (monazite, having 9-10% ThO₂), with a significant majority (8.59 Mt; 72%) found in the three eastern coastal states of Andhra Pradesh (3.72 Mt; 31%), Tamil Nadu (2.46 Mt; 21%) and Odisha (2.41 Mt; 20%). Both the IAEA and OECD appear to conclude that India may possess the largest share of world's thorium deposits.

Abiotic resources

Abiotic resources are obtained from the non-living and non-organic material. Some of the resources, like water and air, are renewable. Other resources like minerals are non-renewable and exhaustible because they cannot be regenerated. Minerals have many categories like metallic, non-metallic and minor minerals....

Metallic minerals

Metallic minerals are the minerals which contain one or more metallic elements. They occur in rare, naturally formed concentrations known as mineral deposits. Metallic minerals available in India are gold, zinc, iron ore, manganese ore, bauxite, silver, lead, tin, copper and chromite.

Gold

as per the statista.com,India's gold production was 1,600 kilograms in 2017.
Total in situ reserves of gold ore are estimated at 22.4 million tonnes and 116.5 tonnes of metal. India has only 0.75% of total world gold production.

Copper

Copper has been used since ancient times. Details of copper mining and metallurgy are available in ancient works like the Arthashastra. Copper is mainly used in industrial applications, electrical/electronic equipment and consumer products such as utensils. India is one of the 20 largest copper producers. Major resources of copper are available in Rajasthan, Madhya pradesh and Jharkhand. As of 2010, India has the world's largest copper reserve beating Russia. However as of 2019, China has the highest copper reserves. It is called Mihid and has about 10,000 workers to this day. In 2008, India produced 7,10,000 tonnes of copper. Hindustan Copper Limited, a public sector undertaking, is the only producer of primary refined copper. Post-pillar method and blast hole stoping method are used for mining. Some of the domestic demand is met through scrap recycling. In India, copper scrap is recycled to make 4 wheeled cycles, which is a hazardous process.

It is used in several alloys such as:
- with iron and nickel to make stainless steel.
- with tin to make bronze.
- with zinc to form brass.

Manganese

Manganese is used in the manufacture of steel, paint, glass, bleaching powder, dry cell, batteries and also present in certain enzymes of the human body. It is used to make a number of alloys. It is important for several biological processes and is essential for plant growth. It is also responsible for the human immune system and necessary for bone development.
Manganese is necessary for the manufacture of steel as it prevents rusting and is also in high demand in India, thus it is an important contributor to the Indian economy.
It is found in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra. As of 2022, MOIL is India's largest producer of manganese ore and operates 11 mines.

Zinc

Zinc is a bluish-white, lustrous, diamagnetic metal. It is also a fair conductor of electricity. References to medicinal uses of zinc are present in the Charaka Samhita.
Ancient zinc smelting technique was found at a zinc production site in Zawar, Rajasthan. Zinc is recovered from a number of different zinc ores. The types of zinc ores include sulfide, carbonate, silicate and oxide. It is used in corrosive resistant coatings for iron and steel, and in the automotive, electrical and machinery industries. India has the world's fourth largest zinc reserve as in 2013. Hindustan Zinc Limited is the main producer of zinc in India. Most of the resources are available in Rajasthan. A minor amount of resources are available in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra states.

Iron ore

India is the world's third biggest exporter of iron ore as of 2013. In the last renewal in 2018, a total of 5.5 million tonne per annum (MTPA) of high-grade iron ore export was allowed to Japan and South Korea. The value of iron ore exported from India amounted to nearly 186 billion rupees in fiscal year 2020. This export value was significantly higher than the previous financial year's value of about 92 billion rupees. As of 2010, India had 27 billion tonnes of resource (including hematite and magnetite). The major amount of hematite is found in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa. Minor amounts of hematite are found in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Most magnetite is found in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Minor amounts of magnetite are found in Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Mining is done by the opencast method. Iron ore is mainly used for manufacturing of pig iron, sponge iron and steel. It is also used in coal washeries, cement and glass industries. Public sector companies like National Mineral Development Corporation and Steel Authority of India contribute to 25% of the total production. Private companies including Tata Steel also provide major contributions.

Chromite

Chromite is an oxide of chromium and iron. It is the only commercial source of chromium. As of 2010, India had 200 million tonnes of resource. Major amount of resources are available from Orissa (Cuttack and Jajpur districts). Minor amount of resources are available from Manipur, Nagaland, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In 2009–2010, India produced 3.41 million tonnes and ranked second in world production. It is mostly mined by opencast method. Chromium provides additional strength to the alloys and it is resistant to corrosion, so it is mainly used in metallurgical applications. It can withstand sudden temperature changes, so it is used in refractories. It is also used in chemical applications.

Lithium

Researchers at the Atomic Minerals Directorate, a unit of India's Atomic Energy Commission, have estimated lithium reserves of 14,100 tonnes in a small patch of land surveyed in the Southern Karnataka district.this though a small but a significant development for the country's battery sector. This is a preliminary estimate and requires further exploration efforts to convert the estimated resources to exploitable category with high degree of confidence level and explore the possibility of augmenting Li resources in the area. Further, unless a proper technology/method is available to profitably extract lithium from its ore, the real benefit of exploration may not be there.

Non-metallic minerals

Non-metallic minerals are those which do not yield new products on melting. They are generally associated with sedimentary rocks. Non-Metallic minerals available from India are
phosphorite, dolomite, gypsum, garnet, wollastonite, vermiculite, ochre, perlite, bentonite, asbestos, cadmium, felspar, soapstone, kaolin, sillimanite, limestone, diatomite, pyrophyllite, fluorite, vanadium, dunite, ilmenite, gallium and Zircon

Garnet group

It is a group of complex silicate minerals and has similar chemical compositions. There are three groups of garnet - aluminum-garnet group, chromium-garnet group, and iron-garnet group. The minerals in aluminium-garnet group are almandine, grossularite, pyrope, and spessartine. The mineral in Iron-garnet group is andradite. Garnet group minerals occur in different rock types. It is a hard substance. It is resistant to chemical exposure. It is used as a semi-precious stone and also in abrasives, sand blasting, water filtration materials and water jet cutting. Garnets are available in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. It is also found in beach sands of Kerala, Orissa and Tamil Nadu states. In 2007–08, India produced 8,73,000 tonnes.

Wollastonite

It is a meta-silicate of calcium. It is mostly white in color and occurs as bladed or needle like crystals. In 2010, India had 16 million tonnes of resource. Most of the deposits are available in Rajasthan (Dungarpur, Pali, Sirohi and Udaipur districts). Minor amount of deposits are found in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. It is mainly used in ceramic industries and metallurgical applications. It is also used as a filler in wall tiles, paint, rubber and plastic. India is one of the largest reserves. In 2011, India produced 150,000 tons. It is mined by opencast method. It is also used as a substitute for short-fibre asbestos in brake-linings. Central Building Research Institute has found that wollastonite can be used as substitute for chrysotile asbestos in cement products.

Sillimanite group

It is a group of metamorphic minerals - sillimanite, kyanite and andalusite. These are polymorphs of alumino-silicate. These are formed under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. The three minerals are calcined to form mullite. Mainly used as refractory materials.
As of 2010, India had 66 million tonnes of sillimanite, 100 million tonnes of Kyanite and 18 million tonnes of Andalusite as a resource. Most of the resources are found in Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Assam. A minor amount of resources are found in Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Granular sillimanite is available in beach sands of South India. Sillimanite refractory bricks are used in steel, glass and petrochemical industries. In 2004, India produced 14,500 tonnes of sillimanite and 6200 tonnes of kyanite.

Ilmenite

It is a compound of iron and titanium. It will be iron-black or steel-gray in color. It is a non-toxic material used in biomedical substances. Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology has developed an environmentally friendly technology for processing ilmenite.
It is also used in production of titanium dioxide pigment. It is available in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. Mining is done at Chavara, Chatrapur, Aluva and Manavalakurichi by Indian Rare Earths limited. As of 2013, India has 21% of the world's reserves and constitutes 6% of the world's production.

Pyrophyllite

It is a hydrous alumino-silicate. It is chemically inert, has high melting point and low electrical conductivity. It is used in refractories, foundry dressings, pesticides, ceramics and rubber. It is available as hydrothermal deposits. The physical and optical properties are pyrophyllite are similar to talc. It is also used in electrical insulators, sanitary-ware and in the glass industry. As of 2010, India had 56 million tonnes of this resource. Most of the resources are found in Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Shivpuri districts). The remaining resources are found in Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. In 2010, India produced 1.5 million tonnes.

Minor minerals

Minor minerals available are building stone, brick earth, quartzite, marble, granite, gravel, clay and sand. These are mainly used in building constructions. Environmental impact of mining these minerals was significant over a period of time even the area was small. Impacts were increasing water scarcity, damage to river beds and adverse effects on biodiversity. So from 2012 onwards, mining of these minerals are to be done after clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Marble

Marble is a metamorphosed limestone formed by re-crystallization. It is available in different colours and textures. Marble deposits are available in many states of India. It has been used in India for a long time. It was used in construction of Temples, Tombs and Palaces. Now it is also used for flooring in homes and offices. It is preferred for flooring because of its durability and water resistance. Marbles which are economically important are available in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. As of 2010, there was 1931 million tonnes of resource, including all grades of marble. Based on the chemical composition, types of Marble available are Calcite, Dolomitic, Siliceous Limestone, Serpentine and Travertine marbles. Other than construction, it is used in Paint and Agricultural lime.

See also

* Mining in India
* Geological Survey of India
* MOIL Limited
* Geology of India
* Agriculture in India
* Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute
* National Environmental Engineering Research Institute

References

{{Asia topic, Natural resources of
Resource economics
Mining in India
Economy of India
India