Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-09-13

Development of a mechanism for the utilization of currently identified and untapped minerals

- Of the currently identified mineral resources in the country, economically valuable minerals are divided under four main categories as follows;

• Energy Minerals
• Ferrous & Ferro alloy Group minerals
• Non-Ferrous Group
• Non-Metallic Group Minerals

Mining, refining and exporting of minerals such as Ilmenite, Zircon, Rutile and Graphite are carried out by the Ceylon Mineral Sands Company and Kahatagaha Granite Lanka Limited at present and the Gem and Jewellery Authority and Gem and the Jewellery Research Centre involve in gem and jewellery related works. It has been observed that no adequate Government's intervention has been made to utilize the currently identified minerals apart from those mentioned above. As such, the proposal made by the Minister of Industries to appoint Committee comprising of the experts in the field to conduct a detailed study on the areas where the said minerals reserves are located, quantities thereof and the products that can be made utilizing them with a view to launching a programme to utilize the said minerals economically valuable purposes and to implement the relevant programme as per the recommendations of the said Committee, was approved by the Cabinet.