Geological Survey of India Celebrates 172nd Foundation Day.

Why in news?

• Geological Survey of India (GSI), the premier Geological organization of India, celebrated its 172^ndFoundation Day across all the offices with great enthusiasm.
• GSI has been instrumental in identifying the mineral blocks and augmenting the vast mineral resources of the nation.
• Recently GSI has handed over more than 150 G2 and G3 Mineral Blocks as well as 152 G4 Mineral Blocks to various state governments for auctioning.

About Geological Survey of India

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways.
• An attached office of the Ministry of Mines, GSI has six regional offices located in Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata and unit offices in almost all states of the country.
• Its main functions relate to creating and updating of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment.
• These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seism tectonic study, and carrying out fundamental research.
• GSI’s chief role includes providing objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and geoscientific information of all kinds, with a focus on policy making decisions, commercial and socio-economic needs. GSI also emphasises on systematic documentation of all geological processes derived out of surface and subsurface of India and its offshore areas. The organisation does so by using the latest and most cost-effective techniques and methodologies, including geophysical and geochemical and geological surveys.
• GSI’s core competence in survey and mapping is continuously enhanced through accretion, management, coordination and utilization of spatial databases (including those acquired through remote sensing).
• It functions as a ‘Repository’ or ‘clearing house’ for the purpose and uses the latest computer-based technologies for dissemination of geoscientific information and spatial data, through cooperation and collaboration with other stakeholders in the Geo-informatics sector.