New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) The Union Mines Ministry on Thursday launched the ninth tranche of e-auction for critical and strategic mineral blocks, together with the third tranche of the auction for Grant of Exploration Licence (EL) blocks.
The launch was officiated by Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy, with Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as Chief Guest.
A total of 20 critical and strategic mineral blocks are being put up for auction in the ninth tranche. Five critical mineral blocks are located in Chhattisgarh, while Rajasthan, Telangana, and West Bengal account for three each. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra each have two blocks, followed by Bihar and Andhra Pradesh with one each.
The blocks contain critical minerals such as graphite, vanadium, gallium, titanium, tungsten, and scandium. These are used as critical elements in clean energy technologies, electric mobility, advanced manufacturing, fertilisers, defence, aerospace, electronics, and other strategic industries, thereby strengthening India’s mineral security and supporting the country’s energy transition, an official statement said.
In the previous eight tranches, 100 unique critical and strategic mineral blocks were offered, of which 64 have been successfully auctioned.
Alongside the ninth tranche, the Ministry of Mines also launched the third tranche of the auction of exploration licences. Exploration Licences, introduced through Section 10BA of the MMDR Act, enable private investment in the exploration of 29 critical and deep-seated minerals specified in the Seventh Schedule of the Act, opening up exploration to private industry even before mining begins. So far, 11 EL blocks have been successfully auctioned in two tranches.
The government has notified the Mineral (Auction) Third Amendment Rules, 2026 on October 16, reducing the minimum number of Technically Qualified Bidders required for the second round from three to two for Part D minerals. The change, built into the tender documents for both tranches, addresses a key reason blocks have gone unsold. Letters of Intent will now be issued automatically through the Unified Mining Portal. These build on earlier reforms, including the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 and Insurance Surety Bonds, aimed at improving ease of doing business and investor confidence.
The sale of tender documents for both auction processes commenced on Thursday. The last date for purchase of the tender document is January 1, 2027 (by 5 p.m. IST), and the last date for submission of bids (Technical Bid and Initial Price Offer) is January 7, 2027.
Critical Mineral Blocks (Composite Licence and Mining Lease) will be auctioned online through a transparent two-stage ascending forward auction, where the bidder quoting the highest percentage of revenue share wins. Exploration Licence Blocks will be auctioned online through a transparent two-stage descending reverse auction, where the bidder quoting the lowest percentage share of the revenue share of the future lessee wins. Details are available on the MSTC e-auction platform at: https://www.mstcecommerce.com/auctionhome/mlcln/
–IANS
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