Mineral Sector

China's grip on critical mineral refining continues, says WEF report

WEF says efforts to diversify critical mineral refining away from China are falling short, leaving supply chains exposed as demand rises from EVs, data centres and power grids

Centre proposes allowing captive miners to sell surplus mineral output

Draft mineral concession rules propose letting captive mine owners sell surplus output after meeting end-use needs, alongside steps to ease operations and promote deep-seated exploration

Parl panel suggests funding boost for IREL to prioritise rare earth mining

Amid the rising global demand for rare earth elements, a parliamentary panel has urged the government to bolster IREL (India) with focused budgetary support to prioritise exploration and mining of the critical mineral. IREL (India), a central public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is the only company in India that is engaged in the mining of rare earth ores and refining them into rare earth oxides. The Standing Committee on Coal, Mines, and Steel, in its latest report, also asked the government to formulate strategies for their domestic availability, identification, exploration, and economic viability, aiming to bring down the country's heavy import dependence. Rare earth minerals broadly are a group of metallic elements that are difficult and expensive to extract and process because they are rarely found in high concentrations. They play a critical role in clean energy applications like wind energy turbines, hybrid car batteries, electric motors, sol

Parl panel flags delays, seeks clearances for critical mineral projects

A Parliamentary Panel has flagged delays between mine auctions and operationalisation and has urged the government to explore setting up an inter-ministerial committee to monitor the post-auction progress for mineral and critical mineral projects. The panel also stressed that critical mineral projects should be given priority in necessary statutory clearances. "Although policy initiatives and simplification of exploration norms for auction of mineral blocks are in place, the Committee feels that the lengthy process of regulatory clearances, inadequate exploration, forest clearance requirement even at the exploration stage, considerable time lag between auction of mines and their operationalisation, etc., needs to be looked into," it said. The observations were made by the Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel in its latest report titled "Self-Reliance in Minerals and Metals". "In view of these persistent challenges, the committee desires to explore the possibility of setting

Japan's rare earth strategy offers West a roadmap to reduce China reliance

The 15-year effort by Japan is a model for countries now scrambling to reduce their dependence on Beijing's critical metals

Centre files curative plea in SC over states' right to levy mining cess

The Centre has approached the Supreme Court with a curative plea against the ruling that allowed states to levy a cess on mining lands, warning of international implications and strain on the federal

J&K to kick off first-ever limestone block auction on November 24

Jammu & Kashmir will conduct its maiden auction of seven limestone blocks under the MMDR Act's post-2015 reforms, with the Centre intervening to speed up the process and open new mineral

India to post multi-fold rise in neodymium production by FY27 end: IREL

IREL, which comes under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), currently handles mining and initial processing of these rare earth elements (REEs)

India taps IISc as centre of excellence to boost critical minerals research

The Ministry of Mines has chosen IISc Bengaluru as a key hub for research and innovation in critical minerals, strengthening India's self-reliance in clean energy, defence, and advanced technologies.

Govt puts in place timelines to expedite ops of auctioned mineral blocks

The government on Sunday said it has amended the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 to introduce timelines for different activities after the auction of mineral blocks to expedite their operations. The amendment has put in place milestones between the issuance of the letter of intent and the execution of mining leases, with imposing of penalties for delays and giving incentives for early production. The move aims at improving monitoring across the stages of mine development and preventing bidders from sitting on the blocks without beginning the operations. "As the latest step in its endeavour to fast-track operationalisation, the Ministry of Mines has notified amendment to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 on October 17, 2025 introducing intermediary timelines for various activities to be completed after issue of Letter of Intent till execution of mining lease," an official statement said. Under the amended rules, approval of the mining plan should happen within six months, environmenta

Centre reclassifies limestone as major mineral amid rising industrial use

The move, effective October 10, 2025, follows NITI Aayog's panel advice and brings limestone under central regulation as its use grows in large industries

Centre to intensify advance-level exploration of critical mineral blocks

The government is also planning to launch a single-window clearance portal for mining projects by December, which will expedite the mining project execution, including that of critical minerals

Sona Comstar MD Singh flags magnet quality issues under PLI scheme

During the meeting, Singh raised concerns about the quality of magnets that will be produced in India under the scheme

China widens export curbs on rare earths ahead of critical Xi-Trump meeting

Overseas exporters of items that use even traces of certain rare earths sourced from China will now need an export licence

Mines ministry proposes lowering bidder threshold for mineral auctions

The Ministry of Mines has proposed amendments to allow mineral block auctions to proceed with two technically qualified bidders instead of three to improve success rates

Ola Electric's ferrite motor gets nod, cuts rare-earth dependence

India's largest EV maker secures certification for a ferrite motor that removes rare-earth magnets, tackling cost and supply-chain challenges in electric mobility

Govt to auction 23 critical mineral blocks in sixth tranche on Tuesday

The Centre will launch the sixth tranche of auctions for critical and strategic minerals on Tuesday, offering 23 blocks and announcing the first set of bidders for exploration licences

Forest rules amended to get approval for critical minerals mining: Minister

The government's National Critical Mineral Mission 2025 seeks to achieve self-reliance in the critical minerals sector, said Yadav at CII Sustainability Summit in New Delhi

Govt cancels auction of 5 critical mineral blocks due to poor response

The government has cancelled the auction of five critical mineral blocks, including a rare earth element (REE) block in Karnataka, in the fifth round of auction due to poor response. There were no bids for three blocks -- two glauconite mines in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh and one Nickel and PGE (Platinum Group Element) block in Karnataka, which led to cancellation of their auction, the mines ministry said in a notice. Besides, sale of two other blocks -- a tungsten mine in Maharashtra and an REE block in Karnataka -- was annulled for lack of minimum three technically qualified bidders, it said. The fifth tranche of auction of critical and strategic mineral blocks was launched in January. Of 15 blocks put on auction, 10 have been auctioned. These 10 blocks comprise critical and strategic minerals including graphite, phosphorite, phosphate, REE, vanadium and potash and halite spread across Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Coal India, Oil India, NLC India,

Hindustan Zinc exploring opportunities in rare earths, critical minerals

HZL Chairperson Priya Agarwal Hebbar said the company is pursuing rare earths, lithium, and other critical minerals, while seeking AI- and drone-led global collaborations