Rajasthan govt prepares action plan to auction minor mineral plots

Rajasthan prepares action plan for minor mineral plots auction

Rajasthan’s mines and geology department has prepared an action plan to auction delineated minor mineral plots, with the aim of creating new opportunities for investment, employment, and revenue. 

 

T Ravikant, principal secretary (mines and geology), said monthly area-wise targets have been set to prepare plots of minor minerals for 2025-26 (FY26). For this, 12,222 hectares have been delineated in the state. 

 

He added that under chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, who also holds the mines portfolio, the department has created a “new history” in the auction of major and minor mineral plots. 

 

“In the recently concluded FY25, 802 minor mineral plots were successfully auctioned in the state, worth over ₹1,041 crore in revenue for the state. Moreover, the government has already received 40 per cent of this revenue, worth over ₹416 crore,” he said. 

 

During FY25, more than 358 masonry stone plots were auctioned. Apart from this, plots of sandstone, feldspar, quartz, marble, granite, ball clay, silica sand, manufactured sand (M sand), granite, and others  have also been auctioned. According to Ravikant, this has increased the availability of mining masonry stone as well as decorative stone. 

 

Further, a plan has been prepared for the delineation and auction of 109 plots of M sand in the state. 26 plots have already been successfully auctioned, increasing the availability of M sand as an alternative to gravel. 

 

 

Speaking on illegal mining, Ravikant said prevention is only possible through the promotion of legal methods — speeding up delineation work, preparation of plots and blocks of major and minor minerals, and auction processes will help in this direction.

 

The mines department has fixed a revenue collection target of over ₹12,950 crore during FY26. For this to be achieved, Ravikant said, the department will move forward with the aim of collecting ₹1,000 crore per month as revenue. 

 

Rajasthan produces 22 major minerals and 36 minor minerals. It is India’s sole producer of lead, zinc, wollastonite, selenite, calcite and gypsum. 

 

The state’s mines department was among the top revenue-earning departments in the state in FY25, with the highest growth rate of 23.65 per cent and revenue of over ₹9,228 crore.