CM wants more revenue from mining

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to take firm steps to strengthen the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) and enhance revenue from the state’s mineral resources.

Reviewing the mines and geology department at the Secretariat on Tuesday, he stressed the need to curb illegal mining and improve monitoring through RTGS, drone surveys and satellite imagery.

He asked officials to study mineral revenue models from other states, particularly Odisha, and examine the feasibility of implementing similar methods in Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister said the state should not confine itself to exporting raw minerals but must focus on value addition to boost domestic utilisation and revenue. With several major industries coming up in Visakhapatnam, he instructed the department to establish a metal-based industrial cluster in the north Andhra region and ensure a steady supply of construction material for upcoming projects.

He said the state must map all available minerals—such as limestone, beach sand, iron ore, manganese, quartz, silica sand, clays and granite—and analyse their end-use industries to determine which can be exported in raw form and which require value addition.

Naidu noted that limestone already supports the cement industry and iron ore is being used by local steel units. Beach sand can support titanium production, manganese can serve ferro alloys units, quartz and silica sand can support solar panel, PV cell and glass manufacturing, while granite can feed polishing and cutting units.

He said such value-added industries should be encouraged, including through product-based incentive schemes if required, and assured that the state would coordinate with the Centre to extend incentives to eligible companies.

He also directed officials to focus on futuristic minerals and seek expert guidance.

On the supply of construction material for capital city works, Naidu instructed officials to ensure uninterrupted availability of sand, gravel and metal from Krishna, Guntur and NTR districts through a single-window system involving district collectors.

He warned that any obstruction in supply would be dealt with strictly. Continuous monitoring through check-posts and CCTV at state borders was also emphasised. Ministers and senior officials participated in the review.