The National GeoScience awards for the year 2016 were presented by President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on April 12, 2017, in a glorious ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. On this occasion, the President hailed the trends of geoscientific research in India.
Addressing the gathering, he expressed that a rich tradition of geoscientific research is prevalent in India at academic and institutional levels. The intention of Ministry of Mines to give away Geo-Science awards is appreciable. Numerous geoscientists are making significant contributions in the field of geoscience and it is the responsibility of the government to honor, encourage and recognize their contributions. Over the years, National Geo-Science awards are a way of encouraging the scientists working in the field to achieve higher levels of excellence.
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He exhorted that it is time for various nations to move towards sustainable growth. Mere exploitation of minerals is not the principle aspect of sustainable development and it is necessary to use these minerals in a judicious manner. The current mineral deposits are on the verge of depletion and the geoscientists need to play a crucial role in finding deeper mineral resources for the future generations.
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Honorable President also called upon the geoscientists to focus more on discovering critical and strategic minerals that reduce dependency on imports from external sources to meet the strategic requirements of India. The off-regions that are present in India must be given more importance as these regions are rich in phosphorites, hydrates, gas, and seafloor massive sulfides, he added.