Govt unveils satellite surveillance to curb illegal mining

NEW DELHI: In a path-breaking move, the mines ministry today came out with mining surveillance system (MSS), a pan-India surveillance network using latest satellite technology, to check illegal mining.

Launching the system, Mines Minister Piyush Goyal hoped the technology will ensure sustainable utilisation of the country’s mineral resources.

“MSS will trigger an alarm whenever there is an instance of illegal mining outside permitted areas. Karnataka, which saw large instances of illegal mining in the past, stands to gain tremendously from this technology,” he added.

This technology will help design planned development of mining as also provide complete data of labourers working in the sector online, which will lead to better safety standards, the minister noted.

MSS is a satellite-based monitoring system, which aims to check illegal mining activity through automatic remote-sensing detection technology. (AGENCIES)