Maharashtra CM Fadnavis presents Eminent Engineer Award to CMD WCL Hemant Pande

Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the 36th National Convention of Mining Engineers, a two-day convention organised by the Nagpur Local Centre of The Institution of Engineers (India). Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal was present at the function.

Highlighting Vidarbha’s vast mineral wealth, particularly the iron ore reserves of Gadchiroli, Fadnavis said that investments of around Rs 5 lakh crore and steel-making capacity of nearly 50 MTPA are being developed in the region. 

WCL CMD Dr. Hemant Sharad Pande said that Nagpur should be developed as the mining capital of the country, which was the thought behind organising the convention. He said WCL has identified 18 critical minerals and rare earth elements across 12 mines and is diversifying beyond coal into critical mineral exploration and purification. He emphasised transforming Vidarbha from a resource-rich region into a value-added, high-income resource hub.

CM Fadnavis presented the Eminent Engineer Award to Dr. Hemant Pande, CMD WCL for the significant contributions he has made to mining engineering and the mining industry. After the inaugural session, the prestigious Prof. S K Bose Memorial Lecture was presented by CMD WCL.