Autobayng News Team
New Delhi: Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy will introduce the seventh tranche of auctions for critical and strategic mineral blocks on March 23, 2026, as India accelerates efforts to secure access to key resources vital for clean energy and advanced technologies.
The auction, to be conducted by the Ministry of Mines, will offer 19 mineral blocks across multiple states under Mining Lease and Composite Licence frameworks. These blocks include minerals such as lithium, graphite, rare earth elements (REE), tungsten, vanadium and titanium, which are essential for sectors ranging from electric mobility and renewable energy to fertilisers and defence.
Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey will also be present at the launch.
The move comes amid rising global demand for critical minerals, driven by the transition to clean energy and the rapid growth of advanced technologies. However, limited geographical availability and supply concentration have heightened concerns over supply chain resilience worldwide.
To address this, the government amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in August 2023, designating 24 minerals as critical and strategic. The amendment empowers the Centre to directly auction mining leases and composite licences, with revenues accruing to respective state governments.So far, six tranches of auctions have been conducted, with 46 blocks successfully auctioned, signalling growing industry interest and confidence in India’s mineral sector.The government has also introduced a series of regulatory reforms to streamline the auction process and improve ease of doing business. These include the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2025, which simplify post-auction procedures such as performance security and upfront payments, and the Mineral (Auction) Amendment Rules, 2026, which allow the use of insurance surety bonds as an alternative to bank guarantees.The upcoming auction will follow a transparent, two-stage ascending forward auction process, with bidders selected based on the highest percentage of value of mineral dispatch.
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