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The production of gold from Indian mines surged by 86 per cent in February this year to 255 kg while that of copper increased by 28.7 per cent to 11,000 tonnes, according to data released by the Ministry of Mines on Thursday.

Among the other important minerals, bauxite (aluminium) production went up by 21 per cent to 24,14,000 tonnes while chromite output also rose 21 per cent to 4,00,000 tonnes, the figures showed.

Karnataka is home to some of the most significant gold reserves and mining operations in India. The primary districts for gold mining in Karnataka include Kolar, Dharwad, Hassan, and Raichur. These  regions are the main contributors to the country's gold production.

The overall index of mineral production of India’s mining and quarrying sector rose by 8 per cent in February this year compared to the same month last year, the figures compiled by the Indian Bureau of Mines showed.

The cumulative growth in mineral production for April-February, 2023-24 over the same period of the previous year is 8.2 per cent.

Other important minerals which showed positive growth during February 2024 over February 2023, include Phosphorite (19 per cent), Limestone (13 per cent), Coal (12 per cent), Natural gas (U) (11 per cent), Petroleum(crude) (8 per cent), Manganese Ore (6 per cent), Magnesite (3 per cent), Lignite(2.8 per cent), and Zinc Conc. (2.8 per cent).

Important minerals which showed negative growth include Iron Ore (-0.7 per cent) and Lead Conc. (-14 per cent).

The production level of other minerals in February 2024 was Coal 966 lakh tonne; Lignite 42 lakh tonne; Natural gas (utilized) 2,886 million cu.m.; Petroleum (crude) 23 lakh tonne; Iron ore 244 lakh tonne; Lead conc. 27,000 tonne; Manganese ore 2,95,000 tonne; Zinc conc. 1,49,000 tonne; Limestone 387 lakh tonne; Phosphorite 2,18,000 tonne; and Magnesite 10,000 tonne.