Production of non-metallic minerals witness slide as mines decline

Production of non-metallic minerals is on the wane as the count of mines has seen a substantive decline from 931 in 2016-17 to 780 in 2018-19. 

While metallic minerals grab the limelight for more widespread industrial applications, the non-metallic minerals trump them in value terms. At the end of 2018-19, the non-metallic minerals had a greater contribution to the country’s economy, valued at Rs 63,011 crore. Against this, the value of metallic minerals stood at Rs 61,009 crore. 

In case of some of the industrial minerals like barytes, talc, steatite, pyrophyllite, kyanite, andalusite, sillimanite and wollastonite, India is one of the leading