Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, today launched the 7^th tranche of e-auction of critical and strategic mineral blocks, marking another significant step towards strengthening India’s mineral security and accelerating the development of the mining sector.

Addressing the event, the Minister underscored the strategic importance of critical minerals in driving India’s growth in clean energy, advanced technologies, and manufacturing.

Highlighting the Government’s reform initiatives, Shri Reddy noted that the transparent and technology-driven e-auction mechanism has revolutionized the allocation of mineral resources in the country.

The Minister also pointed to recent reforms in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) framework, which have simplified procedures, reduced delays, and improved ease of doing business. He highlighted measures such as the introduction of Insurance Surety Bonds, aimed at facilitating participation and reducing financial barriers for bidders.

Secretary , Ministry of Mines Shri Piyush Goyal in his address, emphasized the importance of cooperative federalism in the success of mineral auctions.

Details of blocks put up for auction:

State-wise Distribution of Auction Blocks
State	Number of Blocks	Minerals
Arunachal Pradesh	1	Vanadium & Graphite
Bihar	4	Glauconite, Vanadium bearing Magnetite-Ilmenite
Chhattisgarh	3	Glauconitic Sandstone, Graphite
Gujarat	1	Glauconite
Karnataka	1	REE & Yttrium
Madhya Pradesh	1	Titanium, Vanadium & Aluminous Laterite
Odisha	3	Graphite
Rajasthan	2	REE; Tungsten, Lithium & Associated Minerals
Telangana	2	Vanadium, Titanium & Aluminous Laterite
Uttarakhand	1	Rock Phosphate

 

The blocks on offer include a diverse set of minerals such as Rare Earth Elements (REE), Tungsten, Lithium, Graphite, Vanadium, Titanium, Glauconite, and Rock Phosphate, which are critical for sectors including clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, fertilizers, and strategic applications, thereby strengthening India’s mineral security and supporting the country’s energy transition.

The auction framework has also been strengthened through recent policy reforms. The Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 have streamlined timelines for post-auction processes such as submission of performance security, upfront payment, and issuance of the Letter of Intent, while introducing provisions to ensure timely compliance by stakeholders, thereby enabling faster operationalisation of auctioned blocks. Further, the Mineral (Auction) Amendment Rules, 2026 have introduced the Insurance Surety Bond as an alternative to bank guarantees, providing greater flexibility to bidders.

The sale of tender documents has commenced from Monday, March 30, 2026. The last date for purchase of Tender Document is Monday, May 18, 2026 (by 17:00 hrs IST), and the last date for submission of the bid is Monday, May 25, 2026 (by 17:00 hrs IST).

The auction shall be conducted online through a transparent two-stage ascending forward auction process, with the eligible bidder selected on the basis of the highest percentage of the value of mineral despatched quoted by them. Detailed information on blocks, auction terms, and timelines can be accessed on the MSTC auction platform at: https://www.mstcecommerce.com/auctionhome/mlcln/

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Prajith Kumar

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