Sasmit Patra, Rajya Sabha MP and a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Mines & Steel, said new-age technologies like AI and credible data can play a transformative role in making India's mining and metals sector more productive and globally competitive, and that digitalisation will also help the sector become more transparent. Addressing the FICCI conference on 'Digitalisation, AI, Automation and Technology Integration in Mining and Metals', Patra said AI and digital technologies can help monitor operations more effectively, use resources responsibly and generate credible, transparent data, making the sector more efficient while strengthening safety, sustainability and trust among all stakeholders. He said technology, including AI and digitalisation, has the potential to transform the mining sector by enabling better monitoring, more transparent decision-making and responsible resource management, and that effective use of technology can help build a safer, more sustainable and more accountable mining ecosystem. He further highlighted that data-driven and tech-enabled mining will lead to operational, environmental and productive efficiencies, which will in turn enhance community engagement with the mining industry, observing that technology and data can be the bridge between the industry and society at large.