Mines Ministry

Keshav Chandra assumes charge as Mines Secretary, reviews key initiatives

Keshav Chandra on Monday assumed charge as the Mines Secretary, the mines ministry said. Chandra, a 1995-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT cadre, succeeds Piyush Goyal, who has been appointed as the Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Before taking charge as mines secretary, Chandra served as chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council. Soon after assuming charge, Chandra chaired a meeting with senior officials and reviewed key initiatives of the mines ministry. The secretary emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts and effective implementation of the ministry's key initiatives to strengthen India's mineral sector. The ministry is treating critical minerals as a strategic sector as it seeks to secure minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, titanium and rare earths that are essential for electric vehicles, renewables, electronics, defence and other high-tech industries. India depends heavily on impor

Downstream aluminium bodies seek lower import duty on primary aluminium

Industry associations say the current duty structure has enabled import-parity pricing by domestic producers, raising input costs and squeezing the profitability of downstream MSMEs.

Centre offers 20 critical mineral blocks in eighth auction tranche

The Centre has launched the eighth tranche of critical mineral auctions, offering 20 blocks across nine states as it seeks to strengthen India's strategic mineral value chain

Centre auctions 10 critical and strategic mineral blocks in seventh tranche

India auctioned 10 critical mineral blocks in the seventh tranche, expanding domestic supply efforts for rare earths and strategic minerals across new states

India's critical mineral recycling capacity commitments triple target

Recycling commitments under the Rs 1,500-crore incentive scheme reach 850 kilotonnes against a 270-kilotonne target as India accelerates critical mineral plans

Govt pushes faster mine launches, exploration amid auction momentum

The Mines Ministry has directed agencies and states to fast-track mineral exploration and operationalisation of auctioned blocks to strengthen mineral security

Parliamentary panel flags policy, capacity gaps in offshore mining push

Govt annulled first auction of 13 offshore mineral blocks after muted investor response last December

Govt finalising policy to build domestic critical minerals value chain

Policy aims to build domestic processing capacity for critical minerals, reduce import dependence and strengthen supply chains for EV batteries and manufacturing

India auctions record 200 mineral blocks in 2025-26: Ministry of Mines

India auctions 200 mineral blocks in FY26, highest ever, with states playing a key role as focus sharpens on critical minerals and resource security

Govt launches ₹210 crore research programme for critical minerals

The government has rolled out a Rs 210-crore, three-year critical minerals research programme led by ANRF and the Ministry of Mines, restricted to nine Centres of Excellence

CIL intensifies critical mineral push with fresh bids, global focus

Coal India Ltd is accelerating its diversification strategy by bidding for domestic critical mineral blocks and scouting global lithium, graphite, and rare earth assets

Mines ministry unlikely to cap bid premium in critical mineral auctions

The mines ministry rules out any move to limit bid premiums for critical minerals, even as aggressive offers raise questions over their commercial viability

Centre unveils first State Mining Index to boost reforms in mineral sector

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat lead in the first State Mining Readiness Index, as the Centre benchmarks States to boost mining reforms and sustainable practices

Mines ministry launches sixth critical minerals auction, PSU welfare plan

The mines ministry launched the sixth tranche of critical minerals auction for 23 blocks across 13 states and announced Rs 1 crore insurance cover for PSU miners

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

Cabinet clears ₹1,500 cr scheme to promote critical mineral recycling

The Union Cabinet has approved a Rs 1,500 crore scheme under the National Critical Mineral Mission to promote recycling of e-waste and batteries for mineral recovery

Centre to set up mineral trading exchange, says Union Minister Kishan Reddy

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said the Centre would set up a mineral trading exchange similar to the London Metal Exchange. In a media interaction here, he said the mineral exchange would be established as per the norms of SEBI. "Like the London Metal Exchange, we are going to set up a mineral exchange in India," he said. The proposed mineral exchange is expected to facilitate better price discovery for industries, traders and other stakeholders. Mineral exchange was made part of recently-passed legislation and the guidelines concerned would be issued soon, he said. Asked if the US tariffs would have any impact on the domestic coal industry, he said it would not be much. He further said the country exports aluminium to America in a small measure. Reddy said the government had reduced coal imports substantially, saving foreign exchange to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore. The steel-makers in the country have boilers built for using good quality imported coa

Centre charts roadmap for six-fold rise in copper, aluminium output

Govt unveils copper and aluminium vision documents targeting output expansion, global mineral asset acquisition, higher recycling and low-carbon technologies

Rs 1,500 cr incentive scheme in the works for recycling critical minerals

Midwest Advanced Materials to produce rare earth magnets as India eyes local recycling of critical minerals following China's supply curbs

Iron ore production rises 4.4% to 263 mt in Apr-Feb: Mines ministry

The iron ore production in April-February period of the current fiscal rose by 4.4 per cent to 263 million tonne (MT). In the year-ago period, the production was 252 MT, the mines ministry said in a statement. The production of iron ore was 274 MT in 2023-24. Iron ore accounts for 70 per cent of the total mineral production by value. Manganese ore production increased 12.8 per cent to 3.4 MT in April-February FY25 from 3 MT during the corresponding period of previous year. Bauxite output rose by 3.6 per cent to 22.7 MT in the period from 21.9 MT a year ago. In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in April- February FY25 rose 0.9 per cent over the corresponding period last year. India is the second largest aluminium producer, among top ten producers in refined copper and fourth largest iron ore producer in the world. Continued growth in production of iron ore in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the user industry viz. steel.