By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 18, 2021: THE cumulative growth in the index of mineral production of the mining and quarrying sector for April-December 2020-21 was negative 11.3 per cent over the corresponding period in the previous fiscal, said the Ministry of Mines on Thursday.

Releasing the provisional mineral production data for December, 2020, the ministry said the index for the month (Base: 2011-12=100) at 115.1, was 4.8 per cent lower as compared to the same month in the year ago period.

The production level of coal was 711 lakh tonne, lignite was 32 lakh tonne, natural gas (utilised) was 2,355 million cubic metre, crude petroleum was 26 lakh tonne, limestone was 333 lakh tonne, and bauxite was 19.63 lakh tonne.

There were 2.36 lakh tonne of chromite, 7,000 tonne of copper, 61 kg of gold, 209 lakh tonne of iron ore, 1.31 lakh tonne of zinc and 34,000 tonne of lead produced in December, 2020.

The minerals which showed positive growth in the month over the year before period were limestone (10.1 per cent), zinc (8.6 per cent), lead (3.4 per cent) and coal (2.1 per cent).

Gold (negative 55.5 per cent), chromite (negative 37.8 per cent) and copper (negative 37.6 per cent) were the minerals with the largest negative growth in the month.