The Centre has launched the eighth tranche of critical and strategic mineral block auctions on July 15, 2026, offering 20 mineral blocks across nine states, according to the Ministry of Mines statement. Union Minister for Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy launched the auction in New Delhi in the presence of Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey and senior ministry officials. The eighth tranche comprises 13 newly identified blocks and seven blocks being offered for a second time after earlier auction attempts, marking another significant step towards strengthening India's mineral security and supporting the country's clean energy and manufacturing ambitions.
The blocks contain a wide range of minerals including lithium, rare earth elements (REE), graphite, molybdenum, gallium, vanadium, tungsten, titanium, phosphorite, potash, glauconite, caesium and rubidium. As per Business Standard, these minerals are critical for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, fertilisers, defence and other strategic sectors. The minerals are classified as critical and strategic due to their essential role in modern technology and defence sectors, supporting India's clean energy transition and industrial growth requirements.
According to the ministry, 56 of the 88 critical and strategic mineral blocks put up across the first seven auction rounds have been successfully auctioned, translating into a success rate of more than 63 per cent. Piyush Goyal, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, highlighted this milestone at the launch event, stating that "Since the commencement of critical mineral block auctions, the ministry has launched 88 blocks, of which 56 have been auctioned, reflecting a success rate of nearly 63 per cent and growing industry confidence." The government highlighted a broader milestone during 2025-26, stating that 212 mineral blocks were successfully auctioned during the financial year, the highest annual number since the auction regime was introduced. Of these, 22 were critical and strategic mineral blocks. The sustained participation from industry demonstrates growing investor confidence in the Government's transparent, competitive and market-oriented auction framework, while strengthening India's long-term strategy for securing critical mineral resources.
Piyush Goyal announced significant improvements in operationalisation timelines, stating that "The ministry has undertaken a series of policy and institutional reforms, and the average time taken for operationalisation of these blocks has reduced from 43 months for blocks auctioned between FY16 and FY21 to 25 months for blocks auctioned since FY22." The government has strengthened the auction framework through important amendments to the Mineral Auction Rules and the Mineral Concession Rules, addressing long-pending industry issues. As per Business Standard, the ministry has notified amendments to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2026, to streamline the auction process and improve ease of doing business. These reforms rationalise timelines for payment of the upfront amount, provide greater flexibility in the execution of mining lease and prospecting licence deeds, and facilitate quicker refunds of bid security, performance security and other payments in cases where auctions are annulled for reasons not attributable to the preferred or successful bidder.
Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy announced significant government investments to strengthen India's mineral sector, stating that the government is enabling long-term investment to build industries of the future through an investment of ₹46,000 crore under the Coal Gasification Mission. He added that the existing ₹34,000 crore National Critical Mineral Mission is helping secure the mineral value chain. Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt emphasized that the coal sector is at an inflection point, with the government's objective to ensure investment decisions become faster, project implementation smoother, and regulatory processes become defined, user-friendly and more predictable. These investments and reforms demonstrate the government's commitment to building a robust critical mineral ecosystem that supports India's industrial growth, technological innovation and clean energy transition requirements.
