The Noamundi Iron Mine of Tata Steel is conferred with the ‘Five-Star Award’ for undertaking mining activities in a sustainable manner. The award was received by Mr T V Narendran, Managing Director, Tata Steel India & SEA from the Hon'ble Union Minister of Steel & Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in the National Conclave on Mines & Minerals at Raipur on July 4, 2016.

The ‘Star Rating of Mines’ system, which has been introduced recently, aims at promoting sustainable development practices, which includes addressing social impact of resettlement and rehabilitation, among others. The star rating scheme is designed to have a built-in compliance mechanism for environment and forest safeguards and help in recognising good performers in the sector while encouraging all mining lease holders to strive for excellence.

Mr Narendran expressed happiness on receiving the award and said that Tata Steel is progressing towards scientific and efficient mining practices for a sustainable future. Tata Steel is always committed to adopting the best practices in mining that ensures minimal impact on the environment and the community.

In his address , Union Minister for Mines & Steel , Shri Narendra Singh Tomar stressed that the GDP contribution of mining sector should go up to atleast 6 percent from current 2.4 per cent. He hailed how the PM guided policy so that mining lease now can only be obtained through auction route. The National Mineral Exploration Policy was unveiled on the occasion.

The conclave was attended by  Shri Narendra Singh Tomar , Hon’ble Union Minister of Steel & Mines alongwith Shri Vishnu Deo Sai , Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Steel & Mines , Dr Raman Singh , Hon’ble Chief Minister , Govt of Chhattisgarh , Shri Amar Agarwal, Hon’ble Minister Deptt of Commerce & Industry , Govt of Chhattiagrh and Shri Ramesh Bais , MP Raipur alongwith Shri Balvinder Kumar , Union Mines Secretary and Ms Aruna Sunderrajan , Union Steel Secretary.

The two-day Conclave saw deliberations on topics like National Mineral Exploration Policy, Mineral Policy and Regulations, roadmap for mining sector and offshore mining rules. Atomic Mineral Rules and Raw material scenario for Steel sector was also discussed.

On the occasion, a round table was also organized along with the industry leaders to draw a roadmap for the mining sector.

About Noamundi Iron Mine
Noamundi Iron Mine (NIM) is one of the oldest mines in the country. The mine was started way back in 1925 with manual mining. After expansion of the Steel Works at Jamshedpur, the mine was partially mechanised in 1953 after which it has been gradually developed into a fully mechanised and environment friendly mine over the past few decades. The mining lease covers an area of 1160.06 ha. and is situated in the Western Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. It is approximately 130 Km south west of Jamshedpur. NIM has been developed into fully mechanised and environment friendly mines over the past few decades.

It has adopted technologies like the 3D Laser Scanners for Surveys; a GPS based vehicle-tracking system, XACT for short-term scheduling and MPOP. NIM is progressing fast on the new-age technologies like APP based Daily Reports, Shift Data logging via Mobile Apps, PLC based control with advanced monitoring equipment & PIMS, Central Complaint Management System and Yard Management using 3D Scanner and  remote monitoring of operating parameters & CCTVs via Mobile Apps.

About Tata Steel
Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of nearly 30 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 22.32 billion in FY 15, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.

Chief, Corporate Communications, India & SEA
Tata Steel