Contribution from coal was the highest at Rs 7,232 crore (40 per cent) followed by petroleum (crude) Rs 5,375 crore, iron ore Rs 2,031 crore, natural gas (utilised) Rs 1,982 crore, limestone Rs 559 crore and lignite Rs 220 crore, the Mines Ministry said.
These six minerals together contributed about 96 per cent of the total value of minerals produced in April 2016, the ministry added. The index of mineral production for the mining sector stood at 123.6 in April 2016, which was 1.4 per cent higher compared to the same month last year.
The production of important minerals showing positive growth during April 2016 over April 2015 include iron ore (54.5 per cent), copper conc. (22.6 per cent), gold (16.7 per cent), Manganese ore (13.4 per cent), bauxite (9.4 per cent) and limestone (8.1 per cent).