Barmer. You must have heard the stories of warriors born from the soil of Rajasthan. You will be surprised that the soil of Marudhara is also valuable. Yes, in common parlance people even say that the soil of Rajasthan produces gold, one must only work hard. However, we are talking about Barmer district situated on the India-Pakistan border, where the soil extracted from the mines is famous in the country and abroad. You must have also heard the name…, Multani Mitti.
There is mention of the use of Multani Mitti as a cosmetic in the ancient scriptures of India. Especially the queens and empresses of royal families used to apply multani mitti paste to enhance their appearance. The use of Multani Mitti as a natural cosmetic is not only good for the face, but it has also been used for silky hair. Due to this reason, there is a demand for multani mitti from villages and towns to cities and metros. Multani mitti is the most accessible raw material for companies making cosmetic products.
Multani Mitti Mine in Barmer
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- This raw material of companies making cosmetic products, i.e. Multani Mitti, is found in abundance in Rajasthan.
- There are mines of multani mitti in Barmer and Jaisalmer, western areas of the state. The local people here are associated with its mining business.
- Multani mitti is mined in Bhadkha, Kapurdi, Sondi, Abhaypura, Bothia, Nimbla and Giral of Barmer district.
- After mining, it is sent to different factories, from where after packaging it is sent to different states of the country and abroad.
- Multani Mitti found in Rajasthan is supplied to more than a dozen states of the country including Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh.
- Various types of beauty products, cosmetic creams and medicines are made from Multani Mitti. It is most commonly used in making soap.
- Apart from this it is also used in borewells, oil wellpads and various industries.
Annual production of 20 thousand tons
There are Multani Mitti mines in half a dozen villages of Barmer located on the India-Pakistan border. About 20 thousand metric tons of multani mitti is being extracted from these mines annually. From here, apart from Rajasthan, it is supplied to other states of the country and foreign countries. The price of Multani Mitti available in Barmer is only Rs 5 per kg after extracting it from the mine, whereas after packaging from the factories, it is available in the market for Rs 10 to Rs 50 per kg. According to local businessmen, Multani Mitti is sold abroad for up to Rs 5000 per kg.
Workers expressed their pain
The workers associated with the mining business of Multani Mitti said that the workers associated with the mining of Rajasthan’s soil, which is appreciated across the country and abroad, are living in poverty. Meetha Khan Bhadkha of Barmer, who works in multani mitti, told News 18 correspondent that the price of multani mitti increases after coming out of the mine, but those people do not get proper earning. After daily mining, these workers are able to earn just enough to survive.