COUNTRY BACKGROUND - Gross National Happiness Commission

Agriculture to prepare land-use and forestry management plans.
Mineral Development
19.12 The Department has two divisions : Geology Division and Mines Division. Within the Geology Division,
there are the following units: exploration unit, chemical laboratory unit, geotechnical unit, photogeology and
remote sensing unit and information and documentation unit. The Mines Division has two units : mines evaluation
and information unit and mining rules, regulations and inspections unit.
19.13 As of June 1991, the Geology Division had 6 geologists, each specialised in a particular field, with a
support staff of 71. The Mines Division had 4 mining engineers with a support staff of 16.
ConstraintsConstraints
InaccessibilityInaccessibility
19.14 Due to problems of inaccessibility to many parts of the country, 70% of the country has not been brought
under geological surveys. Except for a few pockets in other parts of the country, most of the surveys have
concentrated in the southern belt because of fewer logistical constraints. Surveys in target areas require substantial
investments in manpower, field gear and equipment and most of these field kits and equipments are non-existent.
ManpowerManpower
19.15 There is an acute shortage of trained professionals in this sector in both the Department and private mining
organisations. The shortage of manpower is likely to persist for several years as there are no Bhutanese who are on
training in this field. Therefore, services in terms of geoscientific and engineering surveys and interpretation of
information can not be provided adequately to the mining community. Geological Survey of India, Bhutan Unit has
been carrying out most of the investigations of mineral raw materials.
FacilitiesFacilities
19.16 There is a general absence of equipments, laboratory instruments and other physical facilities to undertake
geoscientific studies. The existing laboratory is unsuitable for geological survey. There is neither a petrological or
mineralogical laboratory for mineral identification and mapping, nor a geo-technical laboratory for environmental
and hazard mapping studies. A lack of laboratories facilities, drilling machines and other equipment has also
affected the performance of trained manpower that exists.
Mining legislation Mining legislation
19.17 The existing mining operations are not governed by any mining legislation and are monitored in an ad hoc
way. A lack of legislation could lead to problems of environmental degradation, unsafe working conditions for the
miners, unsystematic extraction methods etc.
II. Review of Past PerformanceII. Review of Past Performance
A. Objectives in the 6FYPA. Objectives in the 6FYP
The objectives of the mining and quarrying sector in the 6FYP were to:
· increase the share of mining and mineral-based industries in GDP;
· increase self-sufficiency of Department of Geology and Mines in the area of area of mineral
exploration, geological mapping and engineering geology.
B. Achievement of ObjectivesB. Achievement of Objectives
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