Seventh round e-auction for critical minerals launched

• ET Bureau

• Published On Mar 24, 2026 at 07:50 AM IST

According to official estimates, nearly 75 per cent of the total DMF corpus is concentrated in aspirational districts.

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India on Monday launched the seventh tranche of e-auction for critical and strategic mineral blocks, expanding efforts to secure key resources for emerging and strategic sectors.

The blocks on offer include rare earth elements (REE), tungsten, lithium, graphite, vanadium, titanium, glauconite and rock phosphate—minerals vital for clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, fertilisers and strategic applications.

Addressing the event, Union coal and mines minister G Kishan Reddy said, “We have successfully auctioned 46 blocks across six tranches and are now expanding participation further by including blocks explored by new agencies.”The blocks are spread across Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttarakhand.“While we unlock natural resources, we must ensure that the benefits reach local communities,” Reddy said, underscoring the importance of District Mineral Foundations (DMFs), which are operational in 656 districts across 23 states.

According to official estimates, nearly 75 per cent of the total DMF corpus is concentrated in aspirational districts.

Coal prices under watch

Reddy said the Centre has also taken steps to ensure coal prices remain stable. “We have taken steps to ensure coal prices do not go up,” he said, adding that states have been directed to curb profiteering by open-market coal retailers.Smaller consumers such as restaurants and laundry units typically purchase coal from local, largely unregulated vendors. The minister said India currently has around 80 days of coal stock at power plants, with domestic production sufficient to meet the country’s requirements.