Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai Reaffirms State’s Commitment to Mineral Development
Chhattisgarh Strengthens Its Role in India’s Critical Minerals Ecosystem
Union Minister of State Shri Satish Chandra Dubey Calls for Greater Industry Participation
Raipur/ The Ministry of Mines organised a roadshow in Raipur on August 31 for the 8th tranche of auctions of Critical and Strategic Mineral Blocks, with five of the 20 blocks offered in the tranche located in Chhattisgarh. Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai attended the programme as Chief Guest, while Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey was also present.
Chief Minister Shri Sai highlighted Chhattisgarh’s rich mineral resources and its growing role in India’s mining and industrial development. He called for greater investment, faster development of mineral resources and stronger coordination between the Central and State Governments, while assuring investors of the State Government’s support for sustainable mineral development.
Ministry of Mines Secretary Shri Keshav Chandra said policy reforms, transparent auctions and efforts towards faster operationalisation have strengthened India’s critical minerals ecosystem. Of the 88 critical and strategic mineral blocks offered so far, 56 have been successfully auctioned.
The 8th tranche comprises 20 blocks across nine states, including 17 Composite Licence blocks and three Mining Lease blocks. The blocks contain critical and strategic minerals including graphite, rare earth elements, rare metals, vanadium, gallium, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, potash, phosphorite and glauconite.
Of these 20 blocks, five are located in Chhattisgarh, further strengthening the state’s role in developing India’s domestic critical mineral resources.
Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey said critical and strategic minerals are vital for India’s economic growth, clean-energy transition, emerging technologies and strategic sectors. He called for accelerated exploration and development along with greater participation from industry and investors to strengthen domestic mineral supply chains and advance the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Tokhan Sahu said Chhattisgarh’s strong mining base, infrastructure, and skilled workforce provide significant opportunities to develop new mineral value chains, attract investment, and generate local employment.
CMDC Chairman Shri Saurabh Singh invited investors to explore Chhattisgarh’s mineral potential and highlighted initiatives for transparent mining, faster operationalisation and technology-enabled monitoring. He also referred to the TIN Portal for transparent benefits to tribal tin collectors and exploration of critical minerals such as columbite from tin-bearing resources.
Ministry of Mines Joint Secretary Shri Sandeep Kadam said India’s critical mineral strategy must extend beyond mining to processing, refining and value addition. He stressed faster operationalisation of auctioned blocks and stronger cooperation among the Centre, states and industry to develop resilient domestic supply chains.
During the technical session, NMEDT Director General Shri Pankaj Garg presented details of the NMEDT scheme for partial reimbursement of exploration expenditure to Composite Licence holders.
MECL HOD (Exploration), Shri Shrikant Sharma, briefed prospective bidders on the mineral blocks and their potential; SBICAPS Assistant Vice President, Shri Pratin Sharma, explained the auction process and tender documents; while MSTC Assistant Manager, Shri Pushkar Hajela, provided details of the e-auction process. Prospective bidders’ queries were also addressed during an interactive session.
Following the roadshow, the Ministry of Mines Secretary, Shri Keshav Chandra, chaired a review meeting with mineral block allottees and preferred bidders to assess progress and accelerate the operationalisation of the allocated blocks.
Officials from the Ministry of Mines and the Chhattisgarh Government reviewed implementation challenges and discussed measures to resolve them in a time-bound manner. Allottees were also allowed to raise project-related issues and seek necessary support for faster execution.
The roadshow and subsequent review reinforced the Centre and State Government’s shared focus on accelerating mineral exploration, attracting private investment, increasing domestic production and strengthening India’s critical mineral supply chain.
Industry representatives, prospective bidders and other stakeholders were also present at the programme.
