Limestone Classified as a Major Mineral
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: TBL
Context: The Ministry of Mines has issued a notification, classifying limestone entirely as a major mineral, removing its dual classification as both a major and minor mineral.
About Limestone Classified as a Major Mineral:
• What it is? Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), widely used in cement, steel, fertilizer, sugar, and chemical industries. It is also an important building and industrial raw material with high commercial significance.
• Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), widely used in cement, steel, fertilizer, sugar, and chemical industries. It is also an important building and industrial raw material with high commercial significance.
• Background:
• Earlier, limestone was classified based on end use — minor when used for lime production in building material and major when used for industrial purposes. The new notification (October 2025) removes this end-use distinction, treating all limestone uniformly as a major mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
• Earlier, limestone was classified based on end use — minor when used for lime production in building material and major when used for industrial purposes.
• The new notification (October 2025) removes this end-use distinction, treating all limestone uniformly as a major mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
• To simplify mineral regulation and eliminate artificial distinctions between major and minor mineral categories. To promote ease of doing business, enabling leaseholders to sell limestone freely to any industry.
• To simplify mineral regulation and eliminate artificial distinctions between major and minor mineral categories.
• To promote ease of doing business, enabling leaseholders to sell limestone freely to any industry.
About Limestone:
• Composition: Sedimentary rock made primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the form of calcite or aragonite, sometimes mixed with dolomite.
• Formation: Derived either from biogenic precipitation (marine organisms) or mechanical deposition of older limestone.
• Uses: Vital in cement, steel, fertilizer, glass, and building materials, as well as in agriculture and chemical industries.
• Geological Significance: Contains rich fossil records, helping reconstruct Earth’s evolutionary history.