Chhattisgarh govt expands mineral exploration with 13 new projects

The Chhattisgarh government has initiated exploration projects for 13 minerals across the state. These include limestone, bauxite, iron ore, and graphite.

 

Initial surveys estimate reserves of 283 million tonnes (mt) of limestone, 67 mt of iron ore, and 300,000 tonnes of bauxite, a senior official of state mineral resources department said.

 

Exploration projects for gold, graphite, and glauconite are also underway. A proposal has been sent to the Department of Atomic Energy for uranium exploration in Jajawal village of Surajpur district.

 

According to the officer, Coal Bed Methane exploration licences have been granted to Vedanta and Oilmax in Korea district, while Manganese Ore India has identified manganese deposits in Balrampur.

 

To streamline exploration activities, the Chhattisgarh government is working to set up a trust similar to the National Mineral Exploration Trust, the official said.

 

Chhattisgarh is one of India’s richest states in natural resources, with 28 types of minerals, such as coal, iron ore, limestone, bauxite ore, gold, nickel, chromium, and platinum group elements.

 

The Vishnu Deo Sai government has taken several initiatives, such as forming a transparent mining policy, e-auction, digital surveillance and environmentally-sensitive mining strategies to drive economic and industrial development, according to an official statement.

 

Since the state's formation in 2000, its mineral revenue has grown by 30 times to ₹13,000 crore in the financial year (FY) 2023-24. In the first 11 months of FY25, the state has already recorded revenue of ₹11,581 crore.

 

Further, 44 mineral blocks have been e-auctioned so far, including 14 for limestone, 11 bauxite, nine iron ore, three gold, two each for nickel-chromium, graphite, and glauconite, and one lithium block, the statement said.

 

The Chhattisgarh government has auctioned 10 critical and deep-seated mineral blocks as well. These comprise three gold, two each for nickel-chromium, graphite, and glauconite, and one lithium block. The government has prioritised exploration projects, with 31 of 56 ongoing ones focused on critical and deep-seated minerals.

 

The central government conducted India’s first lithium block auction in 2024, allotting the Katghora lithium block in Korba district to South Mykey Mining Company at a 76 per cent premium. Further lithium exploration is underway in Sukma and Korba, according to the statement.