This article originaly came from India media: http://www.orissadiary.com/
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has demanded a complete ban on its exports with immediate effect. In a letter to Union Minister of Mines Dinsha Patel, the Chief Minister on Wednesday urged him to stop chrome ore export in order to provide raw material security to the end-user industries in the country.
Patnaik has warned that the country may soon run out of the costly steelmaking input if its export is not stopped. CM in his letter mentioned about the Dang Committee report. He said the Dang Committee , set up by the Union Ministry of Steel in 2005, had also, in its report, favoured a total curb on exports of the mineral citing the country’s paltry reserve base, which is mostly confined to the Sukinda Valley and Baula regions in Odisha. If the exports continue, the mineral reserves may not last more than 20 years.
Patnaik said since India has barely 1 per cent of the world’s total medium and high-grade chrome ore reserves, it cannot afford to lose the mineral. According to available data, India had roughly 66 million tonnes of chromite reserve and nearly 95 per cent of these reserves are located in Odisha.