Geoscience Australia to provide roadmap to GSI in next year

Kolkata, Nov 9 (IANS) Geoscience Australia is expected to provide "short and long term roadmap" reports to the Geological Survey of India (GSI) next year so that it can zero in on hidden mineral deposits in India more effectively, an Australian official said on Thursday.

The Australian national agency, which has an MoU with GSI for capacity building, has been helping its staff in adopting modern practices and upgrading capacities to uncover new mineral deposits.

"Geoscience Australia will likely to provide short and long term roadmap reports to GSI in the next year so that the Indian agency can more effectively map the potentialilty of hidden mineral deposits in India," Geoscience Australia's Branch Head, Mineral Systems (Resource Division) Richard Blewett told IANS.

"The short and long term roadmaps are basically recommendations about how to go about to achieve the goals and it will set a 10 year vision to GSI," he said.

According to him, easy deposits have been found and there is a need to go underneath the surface.

"This would require a lot more technology and better geological understanding. So, what we are doing is teaching GSI's staff and the programme is basically training the trainers," he said, adding that the training programme was launched in last November.

Blewettt said three training workshops have already been conducted and three more to be done.

"I had a discussion with GSI officials yesterday (Wednesday). We are now focusing on how the learning from these workshops can be applied," he said here on the sidelines of a programme: "Australian investment in Mineral sector and Australia - India Mineral Exploration Partnership".

The Australia Minerals delegation led by the federal agency was here in the city.

--IANS

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