Government permits exploration and scoping of 400 mines

Kathmandu - The government has given permission for the exploration and scoping study of 407 mines throughout the country in Fiscal Year 2019/20. The permission for this was granted to domestic and foreign companies. Of this number of permits, 149 companies have been given permission for exploration while 258 for conducting scoping study.

Towards exploration, 10 are coal mines, two are iron ore mines, eight are kyanite, three are lead, 72 are limestone mines, 16 are quartzite, one is magnesite, two are marble mines, four are quartz, five are ochre mine, 12 are talc metal, eight are tourmaline, one is zinc and two are dolomite mines, among others.

Similarly, 162 are limestone, two iron ore, three copper, nine dolomite, two gold, two granite, 27 quartzite, 27 lead, four tourmaline, two quartz, and five talc mines towards scoping study. Director General at the Department of Mines and Geology, Ram Prasad Ghimire said that both domestic and foreign companies have been showing interest in the mines and mineral industry in the country in recent years.

According to him, permission for mine exploration was given for 126 mines in FY 2017/18 and for 123 mines in FY 2018/19. The Department earned revenue Rs 847 million 348 thousand in FY 2019/20 and Rs 770 million 300 thousand in FY 2018/19.