Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced on Saturday that the state government intends to utilise advanced LiDAR-based drone technology to monitor mining activities and boost revenue. This initiative will commence with a pilot project in the Pune district, reported news agency PTI.

The state revenue minister highlighted that despite extensive excavation of minor minerals such as murum, sand, and stone, the government is not generating the anticipated revenue.

“There is a significant difference between the figures on paper and the actual excavation. To address this, the state has decided to deploy drones equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology for precise mapping and measurement of mining areas,” he stated.