The Ministry of Mines has launched the 9th tranche of the Critical and Strategic Mineral Block Auction, offering 20 mineral blocks across eight states, along with the 3rd tranche of the Exploration Licence Auction, comprising 11 exploration blocks across six states. The announcements were made on November 5 during the first day of the two-day 4th Conference of Mining Ministers in Goa.
The auction of critical and strategic mineral blocks includes strategically important minerals such as Rare Earth Elements, Graphite and Vanadium. The exploration licence tranche is aimed at unlocking the country’s untapped mineral potential and expanding mineral exploration activities.
Two digital portals, ANVESH and EKAM, developed by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), were also launched during the conference. ANVESH, or Analytics and Navigation for Valuation, Evaluation and Strategic Headway in Mining, will provide access to mining-related data and support its analysis. The information available through the portal will include mineral production, despatch, sale quantities, average sale prices, and import and export figures.
The conference was attended by Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey, Secretary of the Ministry of Mines Keshav Chandra, mining ministers from various states and senior officials from the Ministries of Mines and Coal.
Addressing the gathering, G. Kishan Reddy highlighted the strategic importance of the mining and coal sectors in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. He called for stronger domestic mineral production, faster exploration, greater focus on processing, refining and recycling of critical minerals, adoption of modern technologies and enhanced coordination between the Centre and states.
Satish Chandra Dubey emphasised the need for effective Centre-State coordination, stronger exploration activities and resolution of challenges facing the mining sector. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant highlighted the sector’s contribution to the state’s economic development, stressing sustainable mining practices, responsible resource utilisation and cooperation between the Centre and states.
The conference also featured discussions on mineral exploration, mineral block auctions, critical and strategic minerals, domestic mineral production and issues requiring coordinated action. Mining ministers from participating states shared their respective concerns, implementation challenges and priorities requiring support from the Central Government.
The first day concluded with discussions on addressing sectoral bottlenecks and accelerating the development of India’s mining and coal sectors. The conference is scheduled to continue on November 6, with further deliberations on key priorities and the way forward.