Australia – India Centre of Excellence will broaden scope of Mining Training in Dhanbad: Aastha Group

The Australia India Centre of Excellence for Mining Training was set up recently in the Indian School of Mines, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Dhanbad. Aastha Group, a leading procurement and trading company in India, believes the move will broaden the scope of mining training. The Centre is supported by the Australian Government and the Indian School of Mines, Indian Institute of Technology.

Having mine efficiency, productivity and safety as its major aim, the centre will train executives, engineers, technicians on operating mines in India. As per a statement issued by the Australian Trade & Investment Commission (Austrade), the Centre will be equipped with a simulated virtual reality mine to provide training for all types of mines.

Organized by Austrade, the ongoing Australia Business Week in India 2017 (ABWI) witnessed huge response and the participation of a 20-member Australian Mining Equipment Technologies and Solutions (METS) delegation. The team recently visited Kolkata to explore opportunities in offering Australian mining equipment technologies and services for the mining sector in India.  It is a part of the 150-member Australian business delegation that is currently in India as part of ABWI.

In order to get an in-depth understanding of the mining projects and opportunities for a potential Australian involvement in the mining projects in the region, the delegation met the senior officials from Coal India, S&T Mining Company and other leading mining companies in Eastern India. Furthermore, a session on mining education and skills was also organized in the city to focus on the recently established Australia India Centre of Excellence for Mining Training at Dhanbad. It was graced with the presence of Prof RM Bhattacharjee (Professor, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad), RP Ritolia (Advisor, Swambhu Resources and former Chairman, Central Coalfields Limited), and Sourav Daspatnaik (CEO, Swach Environment and the METS delegation).

Tim Martin, Trade Commissioner, Australian Trade & Investment Commission, Australian Government said, “Australia offers innovative mining equipment, technology, and services (METS) that can help India meet ambitious new production targets and stricter safety, quality, environmental and water management regulations.”

As a matter of fact, Australia is credited with immense expertise in mining equipment and supplies particularly in exploration equipment, underground and above-ground mining equipment and vehicles. Aastha Minmet India Pvt Ltd emphasizes that the country boasts of developing 60% of the world’s mining computer software. It offers various safety solutions for open-cut and underground mines, throughout all stages of the mine life cycle including construction, communication, extraction, processing, and maintenance. Also, the country is well-acknowledged for providing quality education and training to the mining sector with programs and courses linked closely to the industry.

Every year, an amount of Australian $2.8 billion approximately is invested by the Australian mining industry in R&D at the organizational level across various government agencies, stated Aastha Group. This has opened a number of opportunities for Indian firms to collaborate with Australian academic, government and commercial firms on R&D activities.