Mining Engineers' Association of India has said that the government should ease rules and procedures for giving leases for exploration of beach sand minerals that are found in abundance on India's large coastline. According to the Association, beach sand minerals are primarily of 6 types -- Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon, Garnet, Monazite and Sillimanite. Of these, private sector is not allowed to mine Monazite, which is the primary source of radio-active thorium, a strategic metal and integral part of India's three-stage nuclear power programme. According to the Association, which hosted ninth edition of the International Heavy Minerals (IHM) Conference in Visakhapatnam recently, Indian resources of Ilmenite constitute 35 per cent and Monazite 71 per cent of world resources.