Nagpur, 28 November 2025

The Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines, Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, conducted a comprehensive review meeting with Senior Officers of Indian Bureau of Mines at its Headquarters in Nagpur on 28.11.2025, stressing the need for securing self-reliance in Critical Minerals.

“We have not been able to meet the domestic demand of critical minerals on our own. We are still dependent on other countries for the supply of critical minerals. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Coal & Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy aim to make India ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant). While India is making significant strides towards coal self-reliance, the same is not true for critical minerals. I believe that we are taking steps in that direction but more needs to be done,” Shri Dubey said, noting that survival is not possible without critical minerals.

During the review meeting, Shri Dubey assessed IBM’s standing on key performance metrics in various operational areas. The Minister lauded Indian Bureau of Mines for having lived up to the expectations since its inception in 1948. He, however, directed IBM to take steps to fill vacant posts in the organization in view of the increasing workload as more minerals get reclassified as minor to major.

Upon his arrival at the IBM Headquarters, the Minister was accorded a warm welcome by Shri Kulshrestha, CG (I/c), and other Senior Officers of IBM.  Shri Dubey also planted a sapling on the verdant premises of IBM Headquarters as part of the “Ek Ped Maa ke Naam” campaign, symbolizing the commitment to environmental sustainability and green initiatives in the Mining Sector.

In his maiden visit to the IBM Headquarters, Shri Dubey offered key directives and strategic guidance to strengthen the mining regulator’s operational efficiency and future growth, exuding confidence that the Mining Sector will have a key role in building “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and realizing Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s dream of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

Shri Pankaj Kulshrestha, CG (I/c) briefed the Minister on IBM's functional aspects, focusing on its role in sensitizing industry representatives about changes in rules regarding major minerals. He also detailed on the functioning of various divisions of IBM, its flagship Mining Tenement System (MTS) and the Star Ratings system for promoting sustainable mining practices.

Shri Kulshrestha said IBM’s focus is currently on identifying the possibility of finding critical minerals from mine waste, tailings/slags and recovering them.

The Union Minister was taken round IBM’s Geographic Information System (GIS) laboratory which plays a key role in monitoring of mining areas and management of mineral resources. Shri S.K. Adhikari, Chief Mining Geologist, and Shri T.K. Sonarkar, RMG, briefed the Minister on functioning of the GIS lab.

Shri Dubey also visited IBM's Mining Tenement System cell, where Controller of Mines (MTS) Shri Pushpendra Gaur explained to him various aspects of the flagship project that ensures ease of doing business in the Mining Sector with streamlined approvals, digital compliance and greater transparency.

The Minister said the work being done by IBM to strengthen the technological modernization and transparency of the Mining Sector under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is highly commendable.

IBM’s MTS project was recently conferred with the Gold Award in the category “Government Process Re-engineering by Use of Technology for Digital Transformation”, reinforcing the commitment of the country’s mining regulator to digitization.

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Dhananjay Wankhede/Parshuram Kor

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