Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) is an centrally owned

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), under the Department of Atomic Energy

Department of Atomic Energy (India)

The Department of Atomic Energy is a department directly under the Prime Minister of India with headquartered in Mumbai. The department is responsible for nuclear technology, including nuclear power and research....

 for Uranium mining

Uranium mining

Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...

 and Uranium Processing. The corporation was founded in 1967 and is responsible for the mining and milling of Uranium ore in India. The firm operates mines at Jadugora

Jadugora

Jadugora is a census town in Purbi Singhbhum district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is a small township of Uranium Corporation of India in the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand state in Eastern India. It is 35 km by road and 20 km by train from the Steel city of Jamshedpur...

, Bhatin, Narwapahar, Turamdih and Banduhurang

Jaduguda

It is the first uranium

Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...

 mine of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 which started its operations in 1967 . This mine is located in the state of Jharkhand

Jharkhand

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

. Jadugoda process plant is located close to the mine which is used for the processing of the uranium

Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...

 ore. The ore from Bhatin and Narwapahar mines is also processed here.

Bhatin

This mine is located 3km away from Jaduguda and shares most of the infrastructure with the Jaduguda mine.

Narwapahar

This mine

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 was commissioned in April 1995. It is known to be the most modern mine of the country.

Turamdih

Turamdih mine is located 24km to the west of Jaduguda. It has been commissioned in 2003. Turamdih Processing Plant has been set up to treat the ore from Turamdih, Banduharang and Mohuldin mines

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

.

New Projects

UCIL has taken up activities to start two underground mines in Jharkhand

Jharkhand

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

. Uranium

Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...

 reserves have been found in the state of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 and the construction of an underground mine has started in Cuddapah district.

Controversies

There was criticism from certain sections of the local community that the mining operations of UCIL was resulting in harmful radiation to the public. However medical surveys later conducted showed no proof for the claim and showed that the cancer incidence in the area was less than one-third of the national average.

UCIL was also among the 63 Indian establishments put under sanction by USA in 1998.

The mining activities of UCIL in the Khasi Hills

Khasi Hills

The Khasi Hills are part of the Garo-Khasi range in the Indian state of Meghalaya, and is part of the Patkai range and of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion...

 were also fiercely opposed by the local tribals protesting against potential health effects.

External links

• Uranium Corporation of India, Official website
• Uranium Corporation of India at Department of Atomic Energy
  Department of Atomic Energy (India)
  The Department of Atomic Energy is a department directly under the Prime Minister of India with headquartered in Mumbai. The department is responsible for nuclear technology, including nuclear power and research....