Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon'ble Union Minister of Coal & Mines, will launch the Eighth Tranche of Auction of Critical and Strategic Mineral Blocks in the presence of Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, Hon'ble Minister of State for Coal & Mines, along with senior officials of the Ministry and other dignitaries on 15 July 2026 in New Delhi.

The Eighth Tranche comprises 20 critical and strategic mineral blocks spread across nine States, including 13 newly identified blocks and 7 blocks being offered under the second attempt. The mineral portfolio includes Molybdenum, Graphite, Glauconite, Rare Earth Elements (REE), Vanadium, Gallium, Titanium, Tungsten, Phosphorite, Potash, Lithium, Cesium and Rubidium. These minerals are critical for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, fertilisers, defence and other strategic sectors.

With seven tranches completed, the Ministry of Mines has successfully auctioned 56 out of 88 critical and strategic mineral blocks taken up for auction, achieving a success rate of over 63%. The strong industry response across successive auction rounds reflects growing investor confidence in the Government's transparent, competitive and market-driven auction framework, while reinforcing India's efforts to secure critical mineral resources for economic growth, technological advancement and the clean energy transition.

The mineral sector achieved a historic milestone in FY 2025–26, with 212 mineral blocks successfully auctioned, the highest in any financial year since the commencement of the auction regime. This included 22 critical and strategic mineral blocks, reaffirming the Government's commitment to securing critical mineral resources essential for India's economic growth, technological advancement and clean energy transition.

The Government has also recently notified amendments to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2026 to further streamline the auction process. The reforms rationalise timelines for payment of the upfront amount, provide greater flexibility in the execution of Mining Lease and Prospecting Licence deeds, and facilitate timely refund of bid security, performance security and other payments where auctions are annulled for reasons not attributable to the preferred or successful bidder. These measures are aimed at improving ease of doing business, enhancing investor confidence and accelerating the operationalisation of auctioned mineral blocks.

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PKMV

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