Mewat strikes gold with minting unit

GURGAON: Haryana is all set to become the ‘gold mint’ of Asia. For, the Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC) of India, in collaboration with Swiss company Produits Artistiques de Metaux Precieux (PAMP), has set up a first-of-its-kind gold and silver refinery-cum-manufacturing unit in the Roz ka Meo industrial area in Mewat district.
The unit, which has been built over an area of 22 acres, will be the first medallion manufacturing facility in Asia, and, if officials are to be believed, the largest such facility in the world.Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore, the unit will produce approximately 80 tonnes of gold and silver coins every year.
“The minting unit is ready for operations, while there is some work left to be completed in the refinery. We hope to begin operations by July,” said an MMTC-Pamp India Pvt Ltd official.
While the machinery and equipment have been imported from the US and Europe, the labour at the unit will comprise mostly of skilled workers from the state. “We have hired a workforce of about 150 people, of whom more than 50 per cent are from Haryana,” added the official.
The raw material, which would be imported largely from Switzerland and other European states, will be first refined and then converted into medallions at the plant. “We have state-of-the-art equipment at the plant, which will refine and produce over 80 tonnes of gold and silver medallion every year,” the official said. While a majority of the produced medallions would be exported to international markets, India would get its share, too.
“India is one of the largest consumers of gold in the world. Now, with the inauguration of this unit, we hope India would become the largest exporter of gold, too,” the official said.
The land for the unit was acquired by MMTC in 2008. However, the establishment was kept under the wraps for a long time for security reasons. Now, with the facility almost ready for operations, the officials are happy that the work has been completed without any major hurdles.
“We have received immense support from the local police. We have written to the DGP to provide us some personnel for stationing here. Besides, we also have our own security personnel for round the clock security at the site,” the official said.
Once ready, the unit will not only put Haryana on the international map, but also prove to be the foundation stone for the industrial development of Mewat, which was, till very recently, considered the most backward district of the state.