Sonbhadra: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has discovered gold deposits to the tune of around 3,000 tonnes in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, almost five times India's current reserve of the yellow metal, officials said on Friday. The gold deposits were found in Son Pahadi and Hardi areas, district mining officer K K Rai said.

Work on finding gold reserves in Sonbhadra was started almost two decades back in 1992-93 by the Geological Survey of India, he said, adding that auctioning of these blocks through e-tendering would start soon.

The deposits in Son Pahadi is estimated to be around 2,943.26 tonnes, while that at Hardi block is around 646.16 kilogram, the official said. Besides gold, some other minerals have also been found in the area, Rai added.

As per the World Gold Council, India currently has 626 tonnes of gold reserves. The new reserves are almost five times that amount and estimated to be worth nearly Rs 12 lakh crore.

The British reportedly were the first to initiate the process of finding gold reserves in Sonbhadra region, which is more in news for being a Naxalism-hit area.

Interestingly, Sonbhadra - the second largest district of Uttar Pradesh - is the only district in the country which shares borders with four states -- Madhya Pradesh to the west, Chhattishgarh to the south, Jharkhand to the south-east and Bihar to the east.