The Ministry of Mines has successfully auctioned 10 critical and strategic mineral blocks in the fifth tranche of auctions.
The blocks include minerals such as graphite, phosphorite, phosphate, rare earth elements, vanadium, potash, and halite, and are spread across Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Among the key public sector winners, Coal India Limited (CIL) secured the Oranga-Revatipur block in Chhattisgarh, containing graphite and vanadium, with the highest final price offer of 189.75 per cent. Hindustan Zinc Limited emerged as the preferred bidder for the Jhandawali-Satipura amalgamated potash and halite block in Rajasthan with a bid of 3.05 per cent and the Nawatola-Laband REE block in Uttar Pradesh with a bid of 3.55 per cent. This tranche also marks the first-ever successful auction of potash blocks in India and the first auction of a critical mineral block in Rajasthan.