Mines Ministry

Centre to offer financial support to boost critical minerals sector growth

The focus of this initiative is to help find ways to develop extraction technology and better methods of beneficiation

Govt offers 50% refund to licence holders for critical mineral exploration

The scheme allows optional participation for EL holders granted licences through auction after the scheme's introduction

Mining majors give a miss to country's maiden critical minerals auction

This is not the first time the Centre has cancelled an auction due to limited interest from bidders; in the first tranche, the ministry had to cancel 14 of the 20 blocks put up for auctioning

Maiden critical minerals block results likely to be announced on Monday

More than two dozen blocks will also be put on the bidding block in fourth blocks

Coal India, NMDC, ONGC to scout for critical mineral assets abroad

A Mines Ministry delegation is scheduled for Zambia in June. India is exploring joint exploration with Zambia for critical minerals, including lithium. A separate delegation will head to Congo

Mines ministry asks Coal India, NMDC to look for lithium mines overseas

Ministry will lead a delegation to Zambia in June and later to Congo to explore joint ventures in critical minerals

India to become leader in offshore mining as govt amends legislation

India will become the leader in offshore mining as not many countries have done much in this area, a government official said on Tuesday. Offshore mining is the process of retrieving mineral deposits from the deep seabed, at a depth of more than 200 metres. Speaking at the Critical Minerals Summit here, Joint Secretary in Ministry of Mines, Veena Kumari D said the government has amended the offshore mining legislation. "We have done amendment to the Act for offshore mining and we are working on the rules for that and India will be the leader in offshore mining because not many countries have done much of offshore mining and we were working on it since August 2023," she added. Mines Secretary V L Kantha Rao in his address on Monday had said that the auction of offshore mines will begin in three months' time. The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002 has been amended to provide an auction route for awarding production leases for offshore minerals. "Currentl

Nearly 20 critical mineral blocks to be put up for sale by June-end

Offshore mineral auction within three months

Rajasthan's mines department plans to increase revenue during FY25

To implement the strategy, Mines Secretary Anandi recently met the director, Bhagwati Prasad Kalal, and all field officers of the mines and geology department virtually

Mine bidders to face penalties for delays; Centre proposes timelines

The government has outlined timelines for various activities involved in the process, accompanied by penalties for delays attributable to the bidder

299 mines identified as abandoned, discontinued or closed so far: Govt

The government on Friday said it has identified 299 mines as abandoned, discontinued, or closed so far and Coal India Ltd has taken proactive steps towards the closure of these mines. In addition, an expert committee has been appointed to review the existing mine plan guidelines to strengthen the mine closure framework and to adopt best international practices. "A total of 169 pre-2009 and 130 post-2009 mines, considered abandoned, discontinued, or closed, have been identified. "Of these, 68 pre-2009 mines are marked for final closure, with 63 Final Mine Closure Plans (FMCPs) diligently prepared. Additionally, 14 pre-2009 mines are designated for temporary closure, with comprehensive Temporary Mine Closure Plans (TMCPs) developed for each," the coal ministry said in a statement. Mines closed before 2009 often lacked a structured closure framework, leading to non-scientific closures. Acknowledging the physical hazards and environmental consequences associated with these abandoned .

Mineral output rises 13.1% in Oct, 9.4% growth in Apr-Oct period: Govt

India's mineral production went up 13.1 per cent in October 2023, over the same month a year ago, the government said on Monday. The index of mineral production of the mining and quarrying sector for October was 127.4, 13.1 per cent higher than October 2022, as per the provisional figures of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). The cumulative growth for the April-October period of the current fiscal over that of the year-ago period is 9.4 per cent. The minerals that showed positive growth in October included iron ore, manganese ore, gold, and coal. Important minerals showing negative growth included lignite, copper conc, and bauxite.

Mines ministry identifies offshore blocks in economic zone for exploration

The mines ministry on Thursday said it has identified some offshore blocks for granting operational rights and has sought inputs from the departments concerned to ensure there is no overlapping with other projects. In August, the government amended the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development & Regulation) Act (OAMDR) and introduced a transparent and non-discretionary auction process as the method of allocation of operating rights in the offshore areas. "The ministry has identified some blocks in the exclusive economic zone of India... in this regard, the ministry has sought comments/inputs from concerned ministries/department for availability of the offshore blocks for grant of operating rights to avoid any overlapping with the projects," the ministry said in a statement. To implement the provisions of the amended Act, the ministry framed two sets of draft rules -- Offshore Areas Mineral Auction Rules and Offshore Areas Existence of Mineral Resources Rules. The main features of the ...

Chhattisgarh govt tightens norms on utilisation of funds released from DMF

The mineral resources department issued a notification last week for the implementation of the Chhattisgarh District Mineral Foundation Rule-15

GSI data, NGDR to help makers of pumped storage hydro projects: Official

Mines Secretary V L Kantha Rao on Thursday stressed on the role of leading organisations under the mines ministry, including the Geological Survey of India (GSI), to build pumped storage hydro power projects and highways. Addressing a workshop, the secretary made a special mention of the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) for their inputs on assessing the quality of stones being used in the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. GSI data and the recently launched National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) portal will help developers of pumped storage hydro power project, he said. Rao underlined the vast geological, geotechnical data generated by the GSI over its journey of more than 172 years. "Rao called upon GSI to gear up to the demand from the industry and augment its in-house capacity in Mission IV to cater to desired quality output in a time-bound manner," the mines ministry said in a statement. Rao said the power ministry has envisioned construction of a large numb

100 critical mineral blocks to be auctioned before Feb 2024: Mines minister

Around 15 offshore blocks will also be auctioned in March

In a first, exploration licences to private agencies for mineral projects

A total of 17 projects, including 11 of critical minerals, provided to the five NPEAs are in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat and Karnataka

Digging deeper: Govt expects production of critical minerals in 4 years

Govt aims to expedite processes to hasten clearances, auction

Mineral output rises 11.5% in Sept: Data of Indian Bureau of Mines

Mineral production increased by 11.5 per cent in September as compared to the year-ago period, the government said on Tuesday. The index of mineral production of the mining and quarrying sector for the month of September 2023 at 111.5, is 11.5 per cent higher compared to the level in the month of September 2022, according to the provisional data of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). The cumulative growth for the April-September period over the corresponding period of the previous financial year is 8.7 per cent, the mines ministry said in a statement. The production of important minerals in September includes coal (673 lakh tonnes), lignite (29 lakh tonnes), manganese ore (247,000 tonnes) and limestone (347 lakh tonnes). The minerals that showed positive growth during September this year include manganese ore, gold, iron ore, coal and limestone. Minerals that registered negative growth include petroleum (crude) magnesite and phosphorite.

20 blocks of critical minerals, including J&K reserves, put up for auction

Out of the 20 blocks available, four have been specifically earmarked for mining leases, leaving the remaining 16 blocks intended for composite licenses