Handique confers national mineral awards to geoscientists

NEW DELHI - Union Mines Minister B.K. Handique on Saturday conferred the National Mineral Awards-2008 to seventeen eminent geoscientists, engineers, and mining technologists in a presentation ceremony in the national capital.

Professor Sisir Kumar Sen has been honoured with the National Mineral Award for Excellence-2008 for his outstanding contribution to earth sciences.

Addressing on the occasion, Handique said that the institution of National Mineral Award by his Ministry is an attempt to honour geoscientists who have made outstanding contribution in the field of earth sciences.

Realising the long-term importance of geoscience in its fundamental as well as multidisciplinary forms, the Mines Ministry has enhanced the scope of the National Mineral Award scheme by making it into a National Geoscience Award scheme, he added.

He further informed that the award money for the National Geoscience Award has also been enhanced and it will be Rs 200,000 and the National Geoscience Award for Excellence will be of Rs. 500,000 from now onwards.

The Minister said that the management of mineral resources has to be closely integrated with overall strategy of development.

Handique also emphasized that the country must recognize that inevitably the progress of human civilization has been a story of use of natural resources, particularly metal and energy in a combination, which is conveniently labeled as ‘technology’. (ANI)