Iron is a primary raw material for steel industry. Increase in demand for steel puts pressure on iron resources of India in respect of its grade and reserve. With increase in demand for good grade of ore visa -vis its limited reserve, the utilization of low to medium grade iron ores is the order of the day with adoption of advanced beneficiation techniques. In order to find out the effective way of utilization, an in depth mineralogical study is essential as it throws light on the mineralogical peculiarities associated with the ores which affect the resultant beneficiation technique as well as the final product. In order to have a detail insight into the different mineralogical attributes, various characterisation studies megascopic, microscopic (both optical & electron), XRD, mossbauer and VSM are undertaken on the iron ores from different iron ore formations of Orissa. Importance of integrated mineralogical characterisation in beneficiation of iron ores is discussed.

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Agriculture is one among the sources of greenhouse gas emission in the World. Agriculture, being a prominent source of economic sectors in developing countries its impact on environmental climate changes both directly and indirectly through emission of greenhouse gases.  To achieve reduced GHGs emissions in agriculture sector, there is a need to adopt climate smart activities and improved food and nutritional security to ensure a climate-smart sustainable agriculture. This short article explores the key ways to mitigate green house gases emissions in agriculture and critically highlights the potential for bacterial nitrogen fixation in soybean which is a recent approach. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation shows a great potential for GHGs mitigation while supporting the agriculture simultaneously. Other agronomic practices include tillage, residue management, rice field management, climate smart agriculture, organic farming and bio energy etc. This will help the farmers and other stakeholders to bring an environmentally friendly agriculture towards more ecological farming approach for future sustainability.

Uranium mineralization in Madyalabodu area, Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh, is spatially related to chloritized and brecciated quartzite of the Gulcheru Formation in the immediate vicinity of E-W to ESE-WNW trending basic dyke. Chloritization transgresses the lithological boundaries. Whole-rock geochemical data indicate enrichment of MgO and Al 2 O 3 coupled with depletion of SiO 2 , Na 2 O, K 2 O, CaO and TiO 2 in the chlorite-rich zone. Fe 2 O 3 and FeO do not vary significantly in the altered and the unaltered zones. Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) data reveal that the chlorites in contact with uranium minerals are enriched in MgO and depleted in FeO than in the others. Considering the petrological evidence, geochemical signature and structural constraints, it appears that chlorite acted more as an adsorbent rather than as a reductant in facilitating uranium mineralization. Uraninite crystallized later from the uranium originally adsorbed on chlorites. Chloritization might also have facilitated mineralization through the generation of nascent hydrogen, H 2 S and lowering pH of uranium-bearing solution.