Gujarat govt auctions 25 major and 2,280 minor mineral blocks

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has auctioned 25 major and 2,280 minor mineral blocks, with Letters of Intent (LoI) being granted to eligible lease-holders Tuesday to mark the "Entrepreneurship Day". Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel handed LOI to lease-holders and acknowledged the contributions of entrepreneurs to Gujarat's development journey, stated a government release.

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"Under the 'Vikas Saptah', the state government has so far successfully auctioned 25 major mineral blocks and issued intent letters to 20 (lease-holders). Additionally, 2,280 minor mineral blocks have also been successfully auctioned," it said.

A 50-year mining lease was granted to Bharat Quarry workers for the Shepa Limestone and Marl Block and Varvada Limestone and Marl Block, both located in Junagadh district.

Jessa Ranmal Kandoriya was granted a 50-year LOI for Varvada Limestone and Marl Mineral Block in Devbhumi Dwarka district, and Ashokkumar Amrutbhai Patel was granted a lease for 50 years for Sabarkantha's Harsol Block-1.

In Bhuj's Nadapa region, Gokul Dangar received an LOI concerning the China Clay mineral quarry lease application.

"To encourage industrialists to actively participate in this journey of growth, leases are allocated through transparent and competitive auctions. Additionally, as part of the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) initiative, the state government has introduced an application-based system for quickly granting leases for minor minerals on private land," the government stated.

Under the EODB initiative, the Minor Mineral Rules were amended on October 12, 2022, to allow application-based lease allocation for up to 4 hectares of private land. This provision enables private landowners to easily obtain leases. So far, a total of 188 applications received prior approval for lease allocation.

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