New Delhi: Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Thursday launched the second round of exploration license auction covering 11 critical and deep mineral blocks in eight states. The licenses will allow exploration for rare earth minerals in Telangana, Rajasthan and Odisha, and diamonds, vanadium, titanium and other minerals in other states.The minister said the second phase, which builds on the strong response to the first round, will deepen private sector participation under the new exploration regime and promote technologically advanced exploration practices. He also launched Geological Survey of India’s next-generation portal – a cloud platform that integrates data collection, analysis, visualization and dissemination.Reddy said that as global competition for critical minerals intensifies, resilient supply chains are critical for strategic security and highlighted the country’s efforts to reduce import dependence and achieve mineral self-reliance under the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision.“India is working towards reducing import dependence and becoming mineral self-reliant in line with the Viksit Bharat vision,” the minister said, highlighting the reforms in the mining sector aimed at building a strong exploration ecosystem.He also cited the expansion of the scope of the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust Fund and a “whole-of-government” approach to enhance exploration, data integration, data-driven decision-making and systematic identification of mineral prospects.
