Govt offers 20 critical mineral blocks in eighth tranche of auction
In the last seven tranches, the mining ministry has successfully auctioned 56 out of 88 critical and strategic mineral blocks on offer.
New Delhi: Union coal and mines minister G. Kishan Reddy on Wednesday launched the eighth round of critical mineral auctions, offering 20 blocks, including 13 newly identified ones and seven that remained unsold in previous rounds.
The mineral portfolio includes molybdenum, graphite, glauconite, rare earth elements (REE), vanadium, gallium, titanium, tungsten, phosphorite, potash, lithium, caesium, and rubidium. These minerals are critical for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, fertilizers, defence and other strategic sectors.
In the last seven tranches, the mining ministry has successfully auctioned 56 out of 88 critical and strategic mineral blocks on offer.
The minister said in a statement that India is pursuing “an integrated approach that combines policy reforms, technological advancement, value addition, sustainability and international collaboration to build a future-ready mining ecosystem”.
India Mining Week
Reddy on Wednesday also announced the India Mining Week 2026, the country's largest conference-cum-exhibition for the mining and minerals sector, scheduled to be held from 15 to 17 November in New Delhi.
The India Mining Week 2026 is expected to attract over 25,000 industry professionals and decision-makers, over 500 exhibitors and technology providers, among others.
Discussions during the three-day-long event will focus on critical themes including mineral security, exploration, digitization, automation, mine safety, sustainability, critical minerals, resource efficiency, innovation and the future of mining in an evolving global landscape, said the statement.
Mineral security
India is focusing on developing its critical mineral ecosystem, boosting both domestic mining and the global acquisition of mines.
In May, India and the US signed a framework to mine and refine critical minerals and rare earths, even as the Quad—an alliance of the US, Japan, Australia, and India—decided to support the development of critical mineral supply chains.
The emphasis on critical minerals mining and refining also follows last year's disruption to global supply chains, when China blocked exports of rare earth magnets in April 2025. The India-US framework aims to secure mining, processing, and scrapping of critical minerals and rare earths.
India is also a member of the Mineral Security Partnership, a US-led coalition of 14 nations and the European Union to bolster critical mineral supply chains globally by roping in public and private sector investments. This coalition, which India joined in 2023, focuses on diversifying sources of critical minerals.
Critical mineral security assumes significance as nations try to leverage their resources amid geopolitical uncertainties and trade wars.
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in its Sustainable Development Goals Pulse July 2025 report, noted that minerals required for the energy transition—copper, zinc, germanium, tin, and nickel, among others—faced higher export restrictions compared to other traded critical minerals.