New Delhi: Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday announced India Mining Week 2026, the country's maiden and largest-ever mining and minerals summit, to be held from November 15 to 17 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi. Unveiling the summit's logo and brochure at the official curtain raiser, Reddy said a decade of reforms — transparent auctions, commercial coal mining, accelerated exploration and technology-led governance — had positioned India among the world's most attractive mining destinations.
Follow The PSUWatch Channel on WhatsApp
The three-day summit, themed "Stronger Resources, Smarter Mining, Sustainable Tomorrow," will be held under the Ministries of Coal and Mines and is billed as a premier platform for dialogue and business engagement across the mining value chain.
Reddy framed the summit as a statement of intent rather than an event. "We are not seeing India Mining Week as just an event. This is a symbol of a new way of thinking of the mining sector of India, to make India developed, to make India self-reliant," he said. "For the first time, India is organising such a big programme, which will show the strength of India, the potential of India, and the self-confidence of India to the world."
He described the event as "the patronage of the next generation of reforms that will shape the future of Indian mining ecosystem of 2047," and said it would bring the national and global mining community together at a time of shifting geopolitics. With supply chains under pressure and critical minerals now a strategic resource, "the future lies in partnerships," he said, pointing to strategic ties Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built with mineral-rich nations. Reddy also cited Rs 46,000 crore of investment under the coal gasification programme, which he said was "rewriting the narrative of fossil fuels" by turning coal into clean, value-added chemical minerals.
Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt said the summit offered a unique opportunity to showcase India's transformation to global investors, and located it within the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal, a vision, he said, demands secure, affordable and reliable energy. Coal, he noted, has evolved "from being merely a source of fuel to becoming a strategic pillar" of India's economic resilience and energy security.
He pointed to India crossing one billion tonnes of coal production for two years running, and more than one billion tonnes of supply, which, he said, reflected stronger energy security, lower import dependence and greater economic resilience. Commercial coal mining, now contributing about a fifth of annual production, has drawn fresh investment and global best practices, he added, arguing there has "perhaps never been a more opportune time to invest in India's mining sector" as steel, cement, aluminium, power and critical minerals all demand a modern mining ecosystem.
Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN
At the event, Reddy launched the online portal for the registration of coal exchanges and the eighth tranche of auctions for critical and strategic mineral blocks. Mines Secretary Piyush Goyal said the auction round would strengthen domestic availability of critical minerals, draw private investment and reinforce India's mineral value chains.
Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey said the sector was emerging as a key driver of economic growth, regional development and employment, while Additional Coal Secretary Rupinder Brar told delegates the reforms initiated by the government were "just endless."
The government expect India Mining Week 2026 to draw more than 25,000 industry professionals, over 500 exhibitors, 200-plus speakers and delegates from more than 50 countries, alongside 1,000-plus government and PSU representatives and 300-plus mining companies. The programme will span a high-level conference, an international exhibition and technical sessions on mineral security, exploration, digitisation, mine safety, sustainability and critical minerals.
(PSU Watch is India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy. 👉 Click to join our channel now: PSUWatch WhatsApp Channel. Prefer LinkedIn? Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN. Click to stay connected on Twitter here and stay updated)