India is a mineral-rich country, with more than 20,000 mineral deposits. The country produces about 90 minerals, which include four fuel, 10 metallic, 50 non-metallic, three atomic and 23 minor minerals. It is the second largest producer of chromite, barytes and talc in the world, and ranks third in production of coal and lignite, and fourth in production of iron ore, kyanite, andalusite and silimanite.
In 2010-11, the number of reporting mines in India was 2,628. Most of the country’s mining activities are concentrated in the states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Together, these 11 states account for 92 per cent of the mines in the country.
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