GOI Awards Seven‑Star Ratings to Three Mines for Exemplary Green Practices.

National

In July 2025, the Government of India, through the Ministry of Mines, awarded the prestigious seven-star rating to three mines for the first time, recognising their extraordinary performance in sustainable mining. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Jaipur, attended by Union Coal & Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.


      - The mines honoured were Naokari limestone mine (Ultratech Cement)—India’s first limestone mine to earn this distinction—Noamundi iron ore mine (Tata Steel), and Kammatharu mine (Sandur Manganese & Iron Ore Ltd.), all of which had maintained five‑star ratings for five consecutive years, passing a stringent two-stage evaluation.

     

     

Main Point :-   (i) The seven-star ranking is the highest under the Star Rating of Mines programme, assessing performance across four sustainability pillars: impact management, progressive mine closure and restoration, social welfare, and transparent reporting. To qualify, a mine must score at least 90 percent in these modules and then clear a self-assessment followed by field verification by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).

      (ii) Beyond the elite seven-star winners, the ceremony acknowledged 98 mines in total for FY 2023–24, with 95 receiving five-star ratings, reflecting expanding adoption of sustainable best practices nationwide. These ratings, launched in 2014–15, aim to foster environmental stewardship and community development across India’s mining sector.


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