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Mineral Resources

The NER is quite rich in respect of its deposit of mineral resources. Available mineral resources in this region include coal, petroleum crude, natural gas, lime stone, siliminite, dolomite, uranium, china clay, kaolin, fuller's earth, feldspar etc. Though a huge quantity of coal is available in the NER, the coal has high sulphur content and hence is not fit for use in power generation. Among the various states of this region, the maximum amount of coal is produced in Assam and Meghalaya. Besides the substantial reserves of oil and natural gas in Assam, small reserves of petroleum crude is also available in the Changleng district of Arunachal Pradesh and in Baramura area in Tripura. Total current reserve of crude oil in the proven oil fields of NER is estimated at 158 million tones.

NER is well blessed by nature in respect of natural gas too. Natural gas is available in Assam and Tripura. Total reserve of natural gas in the entire region is estimated at about 23000 million cubic meter. In spite of having a huge quantity of natural gas, the NER could utilize only a very insignificant portion of the same leading to flaring up of huge quantity of natural gas regularly. Digboi Refinery of IOC (AOD) has been using natural gas for over four decades for firing of boilers and later for generation of electric power. Assam Gas Company Ltd. is also supplying natural gas through its pipeline to various tea gardens of Assam for use in tea processing, Numrup Thermal Power Station for power generation, to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corpn. Ltd. for production of fertilizer, Assam Petrochemicals Ltd, Numrup for production of methanol and to NRL for refining of crude. Gas so produced by ONGCL at Baskandi and Adamitila in Barak Valley is utilized for generating power by private generation Co. (DLF Power Ltd.) and in the tea gardens. Abundant quantity of non-associated natural gas is also available in Tripura. Of this only a small portion, about 25% is utilized for generation of electricity. ONGCL has a proposal to install a gas turbine power plant of 35 MW installed capacity at Rokhia (Tripura).

In NER, adequate quantity of limestone is available on the basis of which a few cement factories have come up in the region. Sikkim Mining Corporation has been extracting Copper, Zinc and Lead concentrates in minor quantities.

 

State/Month-wise Value of All Minerals Production (Metallic/Non-Metallic Minerals), 2023-24:

(Value : Rs. in '000)

States/UTs

Mineral Group

Apr.

May

Jun.

Jul.

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan

Feb.

Mar.

Assam

Metallic Minerals

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Non-metallic Minerals

52558

59770

53388

34756

50579

54812

37088

49188

55419

61083

61468

64740

All Minerals

52558

59770

53388

34756

50579

54812

37088

49188

55419

61083

61468

64740

Meghalaya

Metallic Minerals

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Non-metallic Minerals

326878

386388

375844

412625

393989

354610

364729

427396

395898

426809

439576

461008

All Minerals

326878

386388

375844

412625

393989

354610

364729

427396

395898

426809

439576

461008

India

Metallic Minerals

107086051

115353988

100551360

74011891

77324966

83363522

104969531

109214777

118077082

122728895

127362501

129087434

Non-metallic Minerals

11059547

11341495

10796457

9853288

10409013

10011401

10218405

10232706

10725938

11311909

12018092

13246764

All Minerals

118145598

126695483

111347817

83865179

87733979

93374923

115187936

119447483

128803020

134040804

139380593

142334198

Note : Excluding Fuel, Atomic and Minor Minerals.

Source: Indiastat.com

 

State-wise Estimated Reserves of Coal, 2021-22 and 2022-23:

(As on 31st March) (In Million Tonne)

States

Proved

Indicated

Inferred

Total

Distribution (% )

2021-22

2022-23

2021-22

2022-23

2021-22

2022-23

2021-22

2022-23

2021-22

2022-23

Arunachal Pradesh

31

31

40

40

19

19

90

90

0.03

0.02

Assam

465

465

57

55

3

3

525

522

0.15

0.14

Meghalaya

89

89

17

17

471

471

576

576

0.16

0.16

Nagaland

9

9

22

22

416

448

446

478

0.13

0.13

Sikkim

0

0

58

58

43

43

101

101

0.03

0.03

All India Total

177179

187105

146949

147250

27998

27054

352126

361409

 

Distribution (% )

50.32

51.77

41.73

40.74

7.95

7.49

100

100

Source: Energy Statistics 2023, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Government of India

 

Production of Coal in the NE States, 2015-16 to 2023-24:

(In Thousand Metric Tonnes)

State

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

Assam

487

600

781

784

517

36

28

200

214

Meghalaya

3712

2308

1529

---

---

---

---

---

---

Total - NE Region

4199

2908

2310

784

517

36

28

200

214

Total-India

639230

657868

675400

728718

730874

716083

778210

893191

997250

Notes:

1. Coal production in Meghalaya has not been reported since FY 2018-19 onward.

2. Other NE States do not have any reported production of coal as per the above sources.

Source: NEC Yearbook 2025

 

Production of Crude Oil in the NE States, 2016-17 to 2023-24 :

(In Thousand MT)

State

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

Arunachal Pradesh

55

50

43

56

53

48

47

52

Assam

4,203

4,345

4,309

4,093

3,902

3,988

4,164

4,358

Tripura

-

-

-

-

-

3

3

2

Total - NE Region

4,258

4,395

4,352

4,149

3,955

4,039

4,214

4,412

Total - India

36,009

35,684

34,203

32,170

30,494

29,691

29,179

29,355

Notes:

1. Production figures are inclusive of condensate.

2. All figures are rounded-off. Hence some of the totals may not appear to tally.

3. Other NE States do not have any production of crude oil.

Source: NEC Yearbook 2025

 

State-wise Estimated Reserves of Crude Oil and Natural Gas, 2021-22 and 2022-23:

(As on 31st March)

States Region

Crude Oil (Million Tonnes)

Natural Gas (Billion Cubic Metres)

2021-22

2022-23

2021-22

2022-23

Estimated Reserves

Distribution (%)

Estimated Reserves

Distribution (%)

Estimated Reserves

Distribution (%)

Estimated Reserves

Distribution (%)

Arunachal Pradesh

3.64

0.6%

2.89

0.4%

3.14

0.2%

7.3

0.6%

Assam

153.05

25.9%

148.6

22.8%

166.55

12.1%

165.09

14.5%

Tripura

0.07

0.0%

0.07

0.0%

29.27

2.1%

30.35

2.7%

India Total

591.92

100.0%

651.77

100.0%

1372.37

100.0%

1138.67

100.0%

Source: Energy Statistics 2023, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Government of India

            Indian Bureau of Mines, Ministry of Mines

 

Production of Limestone in the NE States, 2015-16 to 2023-24:

(In Thousand Metric Tonnes)

State

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

Assam

777

1594

1432

1652

1552

1552

1681

1812

1996

Meghalaya

3834

5095

6599

7195

7248

6029

6399

8112

10070

Total - NE Region

4611

6689

8031

8847

8800

7580

8080

9924

12066

Total-India

307001

314669

340417

379974

359464

349120

392760

405647

450435

Notes: Other NE States do not have any reported production of limestone.

Source: NEC Yearbook 2025

 

Production of Natural Gas in the NE States, 2016-17 to 2023-24:

(In Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres)

State

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

Arunachal Pradesh

28

30

28

46

55

58

53

266

Assam

3,128

3,219

3,289

3,141

2,995

3,371

3,557

3,263

Tripura

1,430

1,440

1,554

1473

1,634

1,531

1,675

1,525

Total - NE Region

4,586

4,689

4,871

4,660

4,684

4,960

5,285

5,054

Total - India

31,897

32,649

32,873

31,184

28,673

34,024

34,450

36,438

Notes:

1. All figures are rounded-off. Hence some of the totals may not appear to tally.

2. Other NE States do not have any production of natural gas.

Source: NEC Yearbook 2025

 

State-wise Value* of Mineral Production, 2020-21 to 2022-23:

(Value Rs.'000)

State / Union Territory

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23(p)

Arunachal Pradesh

397944

416302

558770

Assam

783615

853962

807178

Manipur

2866

2866

2866

Meghalaya

3148601

4227742

5047705

Mizoram

1071304

1572600

2576746

Nagaland

1774

1774

1774

Sikkim

18787

18787

18787

Tripura

46688

43089

67791

India

1597481344

2129892982

1965907190

* Excluding the minerals declared as prescribed substances under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and fuel minerals.

Source: Indian Minerals Yearbook 2023

 

State-wise Number of Reporting Mines*, 2020-21 to 2022-23:

 

State / Union Territory

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23(p)

Assam

2

2

3

Meghalaya

19

16

18

* Excluding atomic minerals, fuel minerals and minor minerals.

Source: Indian Minerals Yearbook 2023

 

State-wise Number and Area of Existing Mining Leases in North East India, 2017 to 2021:

(As on 31st March)

States

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (P)

Number

Area (In Hectare)

Number

Area (In Hectare)

Number

Area (In Hectare)

Number

Area (In Hectare)

Number

Area (In Hectare)

Assam

7

889.5

7

889.5

7

889.5

7

889.5

7

889.5

Manipur

1

132.78

1

132.78

-

-

-

-

-

-

Meghalaya

17

601.29

22

849.34

21

789.34

21

789.34

21

789.34

Sikkim

3

96.32

3

96.32

3

96.32

3

96.32

3

96.32

North East India

28

1719.89

33

1967.94

31

1775.16

31

1775.16

31

1775.16

India

4382

366010.88

3834

325876.2

3529

316290.55

3437

312645.72

3314

306398.76

Note : Excluding Atomic Minerals, Coal, Lignite, Petroleum and Natural Gas & Minor Minerals. The data received from respective regional offices of IBM have also been taken in account wherever necessary

Source : Indian Bureau of Mines, Govt. of India. (ON3075) & Past Issues (through Indiastat.com)