Rajasthan is known for its marble, sandstone and slate stone. It also has rich deposits of black and green marble, which fetches a higher price than the white marble. The state has been earning a revenue of Rs 1500 crore annually by way of lease money and sales tax from the mines. About 50 lakh people earn their livelihood from the mining industry as it is one of the most labour intensive industries in the state. The Government of India has also come up with MSS (Mining Surveillance System) in 2016 which is a satellite-based monitoring system that sends trigger on any unusual mining activity that takes place within 500 meters of existing mining boundary lease. It is based on satellite imagery and can be used by State government for minor minerals in coordination with State Remote-sensing application center located at Jodhpur. The State has also requisitioned the services of Quick Bird, an American satellite, to survey 50,000 sq km in 15 districts of the State for the status of areas undermining. To evolve a robust and efficient method to detect such illegal mining activity on a real-time basis so that necessary response can be initiated at a shortest possible time.
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