The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in association with Union Ministries of Mines, Coal and Steel and Coal India Ltd., organised the four-day International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) 2014 and the two-day Global Mining Summit (GMS) 2014 in Kolkata during December 3-6. Spread over 45,000 sq.mts. in the Salt Lake Stadium Grounds, IMME 2014, the largest focused mining industry exhibition in India, featured more than 290 exhibitors from 15 countries showcasing their latest technologies.
Dr. Anup Kumar Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, stated that the new Government’s primary focus is on “Bringing back the Momentum in Mining” which is in sync with the theme of the summit. He sought suggestions from industry leaders to help the Government bring in effective amendments to the Bill. The Government is trying to “unbundle the MMDR Bill” by categorising the minerals into notified and non-notified segments and auctioning of licences at once. The amendments will also help to set up a tribunal by the State Government to fasten up procedural delays.
Mr. Sumit Mazumder, CII President Designate, and Chairman and Managing Director, TIL Ltd., said the Indian economy is in a revival mode. Lots of positive steps are being taken for revival.
He pointed out six key areas that provide impetus to the sector. These are implementation of the recommendations of the Hoda Committee, streamlining of the clearance process, simplification of renewals and extension processes, acceleration of private sector participation and increase in exploration budget and simplification of land acquisition process.
The second day of the summit featured a buyer-seller meet between mining companies and equipment manufacturers. The objective of the meet was to project the business opportunities in mining, future plans and upcoming projects from large players in the mining sector.
USA was the Partner country, while Australia was the Focus Country at IIME, which also featured country pavilions from Germany, the UK, Poland, the Czech Republic and China and 101 global participants. The four-day exhibition attracted more than 7,000 business visitors from across the country for exploring their mining needs. The theme of the Global Mining Summit was ‘Bringing Momentum Back in Mining’. Exhibitors at the event provided end-to-end technology solutions to enhance the production and quality for the mining industry.
The event also attracted business delegations from Canada, Russia, Australia, the Czech Republic, etc.