Need to develop more sophisticated geoscientific data: Ansari

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Vice President M Hamid Ansaritoday emphasised upon the need to develop more sophisticatedgeoscientific data generation and management system.

"Our demand for minerals and metals would increasealongside an increased demand for agricultural products,leading to greater need for land and water resources," Ansarisaid at the National Geoscience Awards function here.

He stressed upon the need to develop and deepen thescience and technology manpower, and harness informationtechnology to develop geoinformatic applications capable ofintegrating multiple disciplines.

Ansari said the necessary investment was required, sothat policies on energy, climate change, among others wereinformed by the scientific understanding of geosciences.

Mines Minister Dinsha J Patel said that geoscientistsneeded to discover new locations of minerals and intensifyexploration activities.

"Most mining areas lie in environmentally fragile andbackward areas and its development needs special emphasisbecause of technical, financial and organisational problems,"Patel said.

The awardees included Nirmal Chandra Jha, Coal IndiaLimited; Pramod Kumar Rajmeny, Hindustan Zinc Ltd; BasudebDatta, Geological Survey of India (GSI); Pradip Kumar Datta,GSI; Ranjit G Khangar, GSI; Saugata Datta, GSI among others.