G Kishan Reddy on Saturday launched the National District Mineral Foundation (DMF) portal, a centralised platform to gather information on the District Mineral Foundations across the country.
The portal provides details of 645 DMFs in the country with enhanced transparency, featuring centralised visibility of activities, project oversight, and dynamic analytics, as well as a repository of best practices for effective implementation, an official release said.
Reddy also launched the Mineral Exploration Hackathon focused on innovative mineral hunt techniques. The hackathon is aimed at promoting use of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for geophysical data, integration of multiple mineral exploration data sets such as baseline data, available exploration data, etc, to identify new mineral targets, particularly for deep seated/concealed ore bodies.
During the programme, Reddy handed over certificates to eight preferred bidders of the second and third tranche of the e-auction of critical and strategic mineral blocks, the release added.
Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Vijay Kumar Sinha and officials from various organisations were also present at the event.