Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick on Friday informed the State Assembly that around 413 million tonnes (MT) of new mineral deposits have been found in 10 districts of the State.

The newly-found mineral deposits include 210 MT of iron ore in Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts. While 174 MT was found in Khandadhar area, 15.80 MT at Dengula and 16.15 MT found at Sagasahi in Sundargarh district, he said.

Apart from this, traces of iron ore deposits have been found at Bamniajor in Keonjhar district, he added. He said while new manganese ore deposits were found at Kenamenta, Mutakudara and Rangua in Sundargarh district, new bauxite deposits have been found in Rayagada, Kalahandi, Koraput, Kandhamal and Sundargarh districts.

A total of 49 MT of new bauxite deposits have been found in Budharajamali, Tikirimali, Sundaraghata, Kashipur and Majhingamali areas in Rayagada district. Similarly, 88 MT of bauxite deposits have been found in the Keluamali, Krushnamali, Samaramali and Gunupur areas of Kalahandi district, 49 MT in Semiliguda, Pottangi, Nandapur and Rampur areas of Koraput district and 33 MT in the Ushamali, Chidamali and Anamini hill areas of Kandhamal district, Mallick informed the House.

Besides, he said gemstone deposits in the Jaramunda-Jamukunda area of Mayurbhanj district and graphite deposits in Badakuntala, Karabira, Nuakut, Serkunda and Bandhabhuin areas of Angul districts have also been found. However, assessment of volume of mineral deposits in these areas is underway, he said.

Quoting his department’s statistics, Mallick said Odihsa has 54 per cent of the country’s bauxite deposits, 10 per cent of china clay, 25 per cent of coal, 86 per cent of chromite, five per cent of graphite, 32 percent of iron ore, eight per cent of dolomite and 44 per cent of manganese deposits.