The Vice President Shri M. Hamid Ansari presented the ”National Geoscience Awards-2009” at a function organized by the Ministry of Mines here today.

Speaking on the occasion the Vice President said that we need to develop more sophisticated geoscientific data generation and management systems, create and constantly deepen our pool of S&T manpower, and harness information technology to develop Geoinformatic applications capable of integrating multiple disciplines.

Shri  Ansari also emphasised that Geoscience should be central to our energy and climate change policies. “Our demand for minerals and metals would increase alongside an increased demand for agricultural products, leading to greater need for land and water resources” the Vice President said and added that rapid development would necessitate increased and efficient use of natural resources. Geoscientists would be required to locate minerals and ores, assess their quality and quantity, and enable their efficient extraction and utilization.  Proper management of this entire chain is indeed crucial for our national security, he said.

The Vice President also emphasised that we must make the necessary investment in terms of time, financial and human resources so that our national policies on energy, climate change, water and land resources, agriculture, disaster management, urbanisation, waste management and infrastructure development are informed by the scientific understanding of geosciences.

The Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Mines, Shri Dinsha J. Patel said that in the face of complex challenges posed by the globalization, we need a stable and coherent regulatory regime to make the difference in the mining sector. He said that the Government of India has been trying through various policy interventions to create a congenial atmosphere for overall growth of the mining sector.

Shri Patel said that the Geoscientists have to play a key role in discovering new locales of minerals and intensifying their exploration activities for mineral occurrences for converting them into viable economic resources which can be utilized by the indigenous industries. “Most mining areas lie in environmentally fragile and backward areas and its development needs special emphasis because of technical, financial and organisational problems” the Minister pointed out.

The Minister congratulated the Award winners and said that those who have been recognized today are only a reflection of our prowess in this sector. He particularly congratulated Prof. Ashok Sahni who received the National Geoscience Award for Excellence this year for his lifetime achievements. 

The List of Awardees is given below:

National Geoscience Awardees – 2009

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