Partnership to Focus on AI-Driven Mineral Exploration, Remote Sensing, GIS Monitoring, Blockchain-Based Mineral Tracking and Startup Development
Raipur : The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Limited (CMDC) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies in the mining and minerals sector.
The agreement brings together the MeitY IndiaAI Chhattisgarh Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI-CoE), based at NIT Raipur, and the NIT Raipur Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NITRRFIE) with CMDC.
The MoU was signed at NIT Raipur by the institute’s Director, Dr. N. V. Ramana Rao, and CMDC Chief General Manager Shri Sanjay Kanakne.
The collaboration aims to establish a strong framework for applying AI-driven research, technological innovation and startup capabilities to address real-world challenges in the mining and mineral industry.
Connecting Industry Challenges with Research and Innovation
Under the five-year partnership, CMDC will share practical use cases and specific problem statements arising from the mining and minerals sector. Researchers at AI-CoE, along with startups incubated through NITRRFIE, will work on developing technology-based solutions and prototypes to address these challenges.
The proposed solutions will also undergo field testing and validation to assess their practical effectiveness and suitability for implementation.
The initiative seeks to connect industry requirements with NIT Raipur’s research capabilities, NITRRFIE’s innovation ecosystem and the technical talent of students and startups.
By encouraging industry-academia collaboration, the partnership is expected to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced technological solutions in the state’s mining sector.
AI-Based Mineral Exploration and Smart Mining Technologies
Several potential areas of collaboration have been identified under the MoU. These include:
- AI-based mineral exploration: Using artificial intelligence for mineral exploration and resource assessment to improve the identification and evaluation of mineral deposits.
- Remote sensing and GIS applications: Employing remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and computer vision technologies to monitor mining areas.
- Data analytics for mineral administration: Developing advanced data analysis and decision-support tools to support more efficient and informed mineral administration.
- Blockchain-based mineral tracking: Creating tamper-resistant digital chain-of-custody systems using blockchain technology to improve transparency and security in the movement of minerals from mines to their final destinations.
These applications are expected to support more efficient monitoring, strengthen transparency and improve the use of data in mining-related decision-making.
Training, Internships and Startup Support
Beyond technological development, the MoU also provides for a range of academic and innovation-related activities.
Students and research scholars will have opportunities to participate in mentorship programmes, internships, specialised training sessions and hackathons. Joint outreach programmes will also be organised to encourage greater engagement between academic institutions, industry professionals and emerging entrepreneurs.
The collaboration is expected to help develop skilled human resources while creating opportunities for students and startups to work on practical challenges faced by the mining and mineral industry.
Officials Attend MoU Signing Programme
Senior officials from CMDC attended the signing programme, including Chief General Manager Shri Sanjay Kanakne, General Manager Shri U. K. Qureshi and Assistant Geologist Dr. Abhishek Dewangan.
The programme was successfully coordinated by Dr. Anuj K. Shukla, Principal Investigator of AI-CoE, and Shri Pawan Kataria, Assistant Registrar and Officer-in-Charge of NITRRFIE.
NITRRFIE Chief Executive Officer Smt. Medha Singh and Incubation Manager Shri Sunil Diwangan also extended special support in organising the initiative.
The entire collaboration was undertaken under the guidance of NIT Raipur Director Dr. N. V. Ramana Rao and NITRRFIE Board Director Dr. Sameer Bajpai.
A Major Step Towards Technology-Driven Mining in Chhattisgarh
The partnership marks an important step towards bringing AI and advanced digital technologies into Chhattisgarh’s mining and minerals sector.
By combining research expertise, industry-specific requirements and startup innovation, the initiative aims to develop practical solutions for mineral exploration, mining-area monitoring, mineral administration and supply-chain transparency.
The five-year collaboration is also expected to strengthen the state’s innovation ecosystem and contribute to the development of a skilled workforce capable of supporting the next generation of technology-driven mining operations.
