Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA)

13 Efforts made by the Mines for Sustainable Development. A sustainability committee has been constituted on a unit level with a special emphasis on mineral conservation. Periodic meetings being conducted and regular follow up on best practices of sustainable development at the mines level including environment protection measures and CSR activities in surrounding areas. • During the financial year, a total expenditure of Rs 521.151 lakhs was incurred towards implementation of SDF at the mines level, which was 101% of the budget. • Proposed production and development activities have been carried out as per the proposals in the approved Mining plan. • By the application of software, we have established the grade-wise, bench-wise, and section-wise reserves and also for mining efficiency and mineral conservation areas. Judicious absorption of low-grade mineral by computerized blending options, original waste/ rejects projected were 34% but have been brought down to 12% by absorbing 2% lesser grade of limestone i.e. from 41% CaO to 38% CaO as cut off. • 100% Environmental compliances have been carried out in the activity like topsoil stacking, environment protective measures like construction of garland drain and retaining wall, and regular monitoring of all applicable environment parameters to maintain them within prescribed limits. • 100% power requirement for mining operations was fulfilled by green energy sources, and creative innovations were adopted for the conservation of energy and fuel. All the conventional lights were replaced by LED lights which helped in the conservation of energy. • Green recreation facilities were developed at the Mines Complex and colony area. Under this activity, herbal gardens and greeneries have been developed in the residential area for the promotion of recreational activities. • Seamless efforts have been performed during the year towards rainwater harvesting at mine pits and roof water harvesting developed at the Mines Office. A total of about 40 lakh m3 of groundwater was harvested in the mine area. This water was supplied to the nearby communities for their day-to-day use. • 2800 nos of saplings have been planted in the mines area to develop greenery on inactive dumps. • Several welfare activities such as the digging of borewells, pond deepening, rural medical camps, health awareness campaigns, skill development and vocational training programmes for local communities, support to education as well as social, and cultural activities, livelihood and socio-economic standard improvement have been the key focus areas on which we worked throughout the year. Rs 149 lakhs have been expended for the said work. • Also, upskilling and sourcing of local manpower have been prioritized. • Moreover, QMS, EMS, OHSAS, and Social Accountability standards obtained are being maintained. Sustainable mining practices adopted at Rawan Jhipan Limestone Mines 1. Reduce, reuse, and rethink mining waste 1. Top Slicing: To reduce the generation of waste, the top slicing method is being adopted in which the blast holes are drilled up to the average depth of waste and the blasted material is removed. For further improvement, the blasted material is subjected to dry screening and the final material is used for Plant feeding. 2. Judicious absorption of low-grade minerals