India Launches Ninth Tranche of Mineral Block Auctions Featuring Critical Resources

The Ministry of Mines launched the ninth round of mineral block auctions in New Delhi, putting twenty critical and strategic mineral blocks up for bidding. This latest auction round features deposits of graphite, glauconite, vanadium, gallium, titanium, rare earth elements, tungsten, potash and halite. Alongside these mining blocks, the government also initiated the third tranche of exploration licence auctions covering eleven blocks.

Details

The exploration licence auctions grant concessions through competitive bidding for reconnaissance and prospecting work. These eleven blocks contain deposits of copper, potash, halite, vanadium and associated minerals. Across the previous eight rounds of mineral block auctions, authorities have offered one hundred unique critical and strategic blocks in total. Out of those previous offerings, sixty-four blocks have been successfully auctioned so far.

Context

Critical minerals are essential raw materials used to build modern technologies, renewable energy systems and advanced electronics. Mineral auctions help secure domestic supply chains for these vital resources by bringing private investment into mining exploration and extraction.