New centre for ceramics in Rajasthan set to promote industry with research

Principal Secretary (Mines, Geology & Petroleum) T. Ravikanth said here on Wednesday that the State had abundant reserves of ceramic minerals such as ball clay, silica sand, quarts, china clay and feldspar. Representational Image
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A new Centre of Excellence for Ceramics being established in Rajasthan is set to promote the industry with the exploration, mining, processing and world-class research. The preparations for launching the centre are in the final stage, while the State government has sought the support of academicians, technical experts and representatives of ceramic industry to make value addition to its works.

Principal Secretary (Mines, Geology & Petroleum) T. Ravikanth said here on Wednesday that the State had abundant reserves of ceramic minerals such as ball clay, silica sand, quarts, china clay and feldspar. “Rajasthan’s raw material is going to other States for processing, though there is an immense scope for the establishment of ceramic-based industries and employment opportunities here,” he said.

Mr. Ravikanth interacted with the experts and stakeholders in the ceramic industry to invite their suggestions for evolving the new centre as an effective forum with robust operations. The vast reserves of ceramic minerals would be exploited in the State under the technical guidance of the centre for mining, processing and manufacturing, he said.

The Department of Mines, Geology & Petroleum will shortly send a team of officers to the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) in Kolkata to study its functioning, which would help them constitute a core team here. Mr. Ravikanth said the services to be offered by the centre would be identified in advance to ensure its utility from the very first day of its establishment.

A major area of intervention will be the exploration of silica minerals, which play a major role in the manufacturing of products such as insulators used in electricity supply, sanitaryware products, tiles used in real estate, pottery, bricks, and semi-conductors.

Bikaner Technical University’s Vice-Chancellor Ajay Sharma, Director (Mines) Bhagwati Prasad Kalal, CGCRI’s principal scientist P.K. Sinha, and Shantanu Das from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, were among those who interacted with Mr. Ravikanth and gave their suggestions. (EOM)