Mining Activity

Patel Engineering gets ₹800 crore mining-related work order in Chhattisgarh

Patel Engineering has secured two projects worth around Rs 800 crore for mining related activities in Chhattisgarh. The company has received letter of intents from Saidax Engineers and Infrastructures. The total project value for both letter of intents combined is Rs 798.19 crore (excluding taxes), Patel Engineering said in a statement. Patel Engineering Ltd has received two Letter of Intents (LoIs) for the execution of excavation and associated works and transportation of coal at a project located at Jhiria West OCP of Hasdeo Area, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, for Coal India arm South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL). Patel Engineering Managing Director Kavita Shirvaikar said: "The new projects come in addition to a robust tender pipeline of more than Rs 34,000 crores already bid and under evaluation." The company also looks to participate in business opportunities worth Rs 18,000 crore expected to come up for bidding before the end of this financial year, she said. Patel Engineerin

Vedanta bags 152 hectares Punnam manganese block in Andhra Pradesh

Vedanta has secured a manganese block in Andhra Pradesh through the auction route. The Punnam manganese block spans 152 hectares and is currently at the G4 level of exploration. The G4 level of exploration, known as reconnaissance, is the broadest and earliest stage of mineral exploration where broad areas are surveyed to identify potential mineral-rich regions. "The company has been declared as the preferred bidder for the Punnam Manganese block in Andhra Pradesh by the Department of Mines & Geology," Vedanta has said in a filing to BSE on Thursday. Grant of the composite license will be subject to fulfilment of conditions, including submission of a performance bank guarantee, statutory clearances, and execution of required agreements with the state government, the filing said. A composite license, officially called a prospecting licence-cum-mining lease, is a two-stage mining concession that grants the holder the right to both prospect (explore and determine the extent of a ...

Centre drops public consultation for atomic and critical mineral mining

The environment ministry has exempted mining of atomic, critical, and strategic minerals from public consultations, citing national defence, security, and strategic requirements

HCL to bid for critical mineral blocks with IOCL, GAIL, RITES: Official

Hindustan Copper Ltd , a Miniratna CPSE under the Ministry of Mines, plans to bid for critical minerals and rare earth element blocks along with other PSU's like Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), GAIL (India) and RITES as part of its diversification strategy, a top official said. The copper company will soon enter into non-binding agreement with IOCL and GAIL (India) Ltd for this purpose. "Hindustan Copper (HCL) will participate in the auctions which will be coming up not only for copper blocks but also for blocks pertaining to critical minerals and rare earth minerals. "For example, if there is a critical mineral block or REE put up for auction by the Ministry of Mines & State Government, we will evaluate them and then HCL plans to tie up with PSUs on case to case basis to bid for those blocks, "Sanjiv Kumar Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, HCL told PTI in an interview. The company also plans to enter into pact with Coal India Ltd (CIL) for taking part in activities ...

Vedanta group's HZL plans to enter potash mining, eyes block in Rajasthan

Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) plans to foray into potash mining and is eyeing a block in Rajasthan which has a fair chance of having lithium reserves also, a top official of the company said. India heavily relies on potash imports and has been exploring ways to reduce its dependence on imports. India's potash imports primarily come from countries like Russia, Canada, Belarus, and Israel. The company is also planning to expand beyond base metals -- zinc and lead -- and precious metal silver as well as all critical minerals which are of strategic interest to the company. Hindustan Zinc was declared as the preferred bidder for Dugocha gold block in Rajasthan, resulting into expansion of its portfolio of precious metals. "So all the critical mineral blocks, as I said, we have got gold...block, we have got tungsten block. So Hindustan Zinc will expand beyond zinc, lead and silver. "We will expand into all critical minerals, whichever is of strategic interest to us, includ

Centre plans new unit to boost DMF, PMKKKY efficiency in mining regions

The mines ministry plans to set up a program management unit to facilitate the development of people affected by mining-related activities and effective coordination with the states for smooth implementation of Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana. The government in 2025 launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) aimed at the welfare of areas and people affected by mining-related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) from the funds accruing to them in terms of the mining act. Accordingly, the Centre directed the concerned State Governments to incorporate the PMKKKY into the rules framed by them for the DMF and to implement the said Scheme. The mines ministry said on its website that it is taking many initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of District Mineral Foundation/ Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana. "Ministry of Mines plans to take services of a consulting firm to set up a Program .

JSW Group to invest Rs 2,600 cr in copper mines, plant in Jharkhand

JSW Group on Monday said it will invest Rs 2,600 crore to develop and operate two copper mines and set up a copper concentrator plant in Jharkhand. The development marks JSW Group's foray into the copper business as part of its commitment to diversification and growth. "With a planned investment of Rs 2,600 crore, this marks a significant milestone in strengthening India's position in critical resources," it said in a statement. JSW Group said it has made a significant expansion into the mining of non- ferrous metals by winning the mine operator and developer (MDO) contract of two blocks of copper mines in Jharkhand from state-owned Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL). "The project involves operationalising the two mines and setting up of a copper concentrator plant, with the total capital investment estimated to be Rs 2,600 crore," it said. On full-scale ramp up, the mines will have an ore capacity of three million tonne per annum (MTPA). The mines are likely to become part operational

Govt to sign pact with Mongolia soon in area of geology and exploration

Mongolia is rich in deposits of copper and coking coal, and India is mostly dependent on imports to meet rising demand for the red metal

Mining tax by states: Tata Steel to file curative petition in Supreme Court

On July 25, a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that states have the power to levy cess on mining and mineral-use activities. Tata Steel's petition seeks a remedy to this order

GCCI seeks urgent review of Supreme Court's mineral taxation ruling

The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI) has demanded an urgent review of the mineral taxation ruling by the Supreme Court, stating that the increased cost of mining will inevitably lead to higher prices for essential commodities, including steel, power and cement. The Supreme Court last month allowed states to collect past dues on royalty on minerals bearing land from the Centre and mining companies from April 1, 2005 onwards. "The imposition of further taxes/ cess/ levies, if any, as permitted by the ruling, will further impact the economics of mining operations possibly making it unviable with its natural consequences. Additionally, the increased cost of mining will inevitably lead to higher prices for essential commodities e.g., steel, power, cement, etc. further fuelling inflation and consequential impact on the nation's economy," GCCI said in a statement. The possible impact would be a change of goalpost particularly when the auction regime is in vogue post enactment

SC verdict to hit mining firms; Tata Steel, JSW Steel to see lower profits

Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and other companies may see higher costs and reduced profitability from new state-imposed mining taxes, leading to inflation, following a Supreme Court decision

38 critical blocks on sale unlikely to accrue benefits in this decade: ICRA

Icra on Wednesday said that benefits from the 38 critical mineral blocks that have been put on sale are not likely to accrue in the current decade ending 2030 as the mines are not fully explored. "The preliminary stage of exploration for most of the domestic blocks that are currently being auctioned suggests that their commercialisation and associated benefits are unlikely to fully accrue in the current decade ending 2030. Therefore, India's downstream manufacturing facilities are likely to remain exposed to potential future supply shocks of critical minerals in the intervening years," Icra said in a statement. The government is auctioning two lithium blocks in the ongoing auctions. The one in Jammu & Kashmir has clay deposits. While the technology for extracting lithium from hard rock and brine deposits has matured, the same for extracting lithium from clay deposits remains untested globally. Given these challenges, the J&K lithium block received less than three bids, ...

Rajasthan govt to expedite auction of minor and major mine blocks

To prevent illegal mining, the state will prioritise preparing and auctioning as many mining blocks as possible

SC halts new mining leases in 4 states to safeguard Aravalli ecosystem

The Supreme Court injunction in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi will not affect existing mining operations

Rs 1 trillion at stake in mineral tax tussle between Centre and states

As Centre and states contest the issue of taxation rights in court, CAGR of revenue from coal stands at 13.8% during 2014-23

Mineral output increases by 5.1% in December, says mines ministry

India's mineral output increased by 5.1 per cent in December as compared to the year-ago period, the government said on Thursday. The index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector for the month of December, 2023 at 139.4 is 5.1 per cent higher as compared to the level witnessed in the corresponding month of 2022, the mines ministry said in a statement. The cumulative growth rate in the mining and quarrying sector for the April-December period of the current fiscal over the corresponding period of previous financial year is 8.5 per cent, as per the provisional statistics of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). In December, the production of coal stood at 929 lakh tonnes while that of lignite at 40 lakh tonnes, iron ore at 255 lakh tonnes and limestone at 372 lakh tonnes. Production of lignite, limestone, coal, bauxite and natural gas showed positive growth. However, a negative growth was registered in the production of petroleum (crude), gold, chromite, phosphorite and ...

Bihar achieves just 51.78% of mining revenue collection target till Feb 14

The Mines and Geology department of Bihar government has expressed concern over revenue collections falling short of the target and warned officials of strict disciplinary action if they fail to get their act together before the financial year comes to a close. Officials have managed to achieve just Rs 1,896.43 crore of its revenue target of Rs 3,662.39 crore for 2023-24 from the mining sector till February 14, 2024, according to documents. As per the latest review meeting chaired by the Director of Mines and Geology the department has achieved 51.78 per cent of the mining revenue collection target till February 14. In some districts such as Nalanda, Kaimur, Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Munger, Kishanganj, Banka, Bhagalpur and Saran the revenue collection is less than 50 per cent, it said. "If the revenue collection in these districts does not increase immediately, strict disciplinary action will be initiated against the concerned officials of these ...

40 bids received via offline mode for coal mines auction, says govt

The coal ministry on Monday said it has received 40 bids through offline mode for the coal mines put for sale under the ninth round of commercial auction. The government had launched the ninth round of commercial mines auction in December last year. "The Ministry of Coal has received an overwhelming response for the coal mines offered under the ninth round of commercial coal mine auctions. A total of 40 bids have been received in offline form," an official statement said. The ninth tranche of auction was launched for 32 coal mines. The last date for submission of bids was February 19, 2024. The online bids received as part of the auction process along with the offline bids will be opened on Tuesday in presence of bidders. In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, a move that opened India's coal sector for private players.

Offshore mineral blocks' auction process to begin in 2-3 months: Secy

The government will begin the auction process for offshore mineral blocks in the next two-three months, Mines Secretary V L Kantha Rao said on Thursday. "...Ministry of Mines will start the auction process in next 2-3 months for these offshore blocks," he said. The government already has 35 offshore mineral blocks identified by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for auction, Rao said, adding that 24 more blocks are in the pipeline which will be given to the mines ministry for sale, an official statement said. "As the process of auctioning of offshore blocks for exploration and exploitation is a new domain, for this initiative to succeed in a meaningful way, Mines Ministry is working on the Amendments in the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development & Regulation) Act, 2002," he said. Moreover, the Centre is also in the process of developing a standard operating procedures to be followed if a private sector bidder wins the block for exploration, Rao said. The secretary was speaking at a

Karnataka HC bans mining around KRS dam, till safety survey completion

Expressing concern over the mining blasts affecting the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam in Srirangapatna, Mandya, the High Court of Karnataka on Monday imposed a ban on mining and blasting activities within a 20-km radius of the structure. The ban issued on Monday will be in force till the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, conducts a dam safety survey. However, the HC has not fixed any deadline for the study to be undertaken under the Dam Safety Act, 2022. The HC had earlier made the State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) a party to the petition. The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit were hearing a petition filed by one CG Kumar who had challenged the deputy commissioner's order that conversion of land for stone quarrying would be granted only after a trial blast was conducted by the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited. Kumar had challenged this condition as being illegal. The petition was however converted to a public ...