Lending a Hand: UP’s Mine Mitra Model Can Now be Replicated in Other States to Combat Illegal Mining

The Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Geology and Mining’s ‘Mine Mitra’, launched to put a stop to illegal mining and awarded the National e-Governance Award, can be easily replicated in other states to manage such challenges, officials have said.

The model combines all mining activities by leveraging technology into an end-to-end solution for mineral management. It is an integrated IT solution that uses real-time data surveillance and reporting to combat unlawful mining practices.

The need for a Mine Mitra-like solution was noticed after the Allahabad High Court banned mining in Uttar Pradesh in 2016 in response to several illegal mining cases.

Since then, the state government has been working to find ways to curb illegal mining while also protecting the environment and ensuring that the mining industry can continue to provide jobs and economic benefits.

Tech-Driven Solution

In 2019, the authorities came up with a new initiative called Mine Mitra for which artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT are used. Now, as per the officials, there have been requests from many states in regard to replicating similar models.

This platform aims to provide a single window for all mining-related services online, including applications for mining leases and permits, registration of mineral traders and transporters, instalment payment facility for lessees and permit holders, approval on mining plans by DGM and online access to mining maps and data.

Mine Mitra is a web-based platform but also has a mobile app which allows users to access all of the services offered.

This project not only provides a platform but has also created a complete tech-driven ecosystem that includes geo-fencing of lease areas, PTZ cameras and weighbridges in mines, MINETag installation on all mineral carrying vehicles, RFID handheld reader and m-Check app to officers, unified revenue command centre and AI & IoT based unmanned check gates in major mining routes.

As per data, so far, over 1,256 lease areas have been geo-fenced, which is a location-based service that creates a virtual boundary. More than 800 weighbridges — the platforms used to determine the weight of large vehicles and containers — are installed. The weighbridges are connected to the Vahan portal to know the permissible weight for the vehicles.

Additionally, over 1, 50,000 MINETags (almost like FASTag) are issued to mineral-carrying vehicles and more than 75 RFID handheld devices with the m-Check app are available for mining officials across the state. Using the RFID device, the officials are able to check from a distance whether a vehicle has the proper transit pass or not.

In the case of AI & IoT check gates, while over 38 are already active, at least seven are still in the process. Some of the check gates are installed in Fatehpur, Mahoba, Saharanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Lalitpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Chitrakoot and Banda. With the help of technology, these check gates help to detect what kind of mineral a passing vehicle is carrying.

If any vehicle is found to be not following the rules, an e-notice and online penalty are issued to the vehicle owner.

Revenue Generation

However, it is understood that along with increasing transparency, Mine Mitra has made it easier for businesses to obtain the permits and licenses they need to operate.

Furthermore, since this model helps to reduce illegal mining by making it easier for the government to track and monitor mining activities, the UP government has seen an increase in revenue.

According to Vipin Kumar Jain, Special Secretary at Geology & Mining Department, UP government, who has been leading the implementation of the Mine Mitra project: “Last year, we achieved the highest revenue in the history of UP mining department because of Mine Mitra.”