Vijayawada:
The Geological Survey of India (GSI), an entity functioning under the Ministry of Mines, Government of India on Tuesday opened its first camp office in the state of Andhra Pradesh at Vijayawada.
Ch Venkateswar Rao, Additional Director General (ADG) and head of GSI for the southern region inaugurated the office in the premises of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) at Kanuru in Vijayawada.
“The new camp office will help in maintaining better coordination with the state government on matters related to mineral exploration’¦GSI will provide the mineral data to the state,” said Mr Rao in an official press release.
S N Mahapatro, deputy director general, GSI noted that a camp office is crucial for better coordination, technical guidance on auctioning of mining blocks and sharing of knowledge, among others.
Established in 1851 after more than three decades of geological activities during the colonial times, GSI is a repository of geo-scientific information for various fields in India.
It engages in the creation and updating of national geo-scientific information and mineral resource assessment, achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations.
GSI also conducts multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies. Further, it engages in glaciology and seismotectonic studies, and carries out fundamental research, whose outcome has immense societal value.