Mines Ministry to launch second tranche of exploration licence auctions on February 12

New Delhi: The Ministry of Mines will launch the second tranche of Exploration Licence (EL) block auctions on February 12 at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI) in New Delhi, marking what it described as “another important milestone in India’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening mineral exploration and ensuring long-term mineral security, particularly for critical and deep-seated minerals.”

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The launch event will be held in the presence of Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy, along with senior ministry officials and representatives from state governments, industry and other stakeholders.

Next-generation GSI digital portal to be unveiled

On the occasion, the ministry will also unveil the Next Generation Digital Portal of the Geological Survey of India (GSI). According to the statement, the portal “brings together data acquisition, analysis, visualisation and dissemination on a single cloud-enabled platform.” Equipped with AI/ML-based tools and interoperability with the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR), it “is expected to significantly enhance transparency, efficiency and data-driven decision-making in the mineral exploration ecosystem.”

The digital platform is aimed at integrating geoscientific datasets and streamlining access to exploration-related information.

Roadshows to familiarise stakeholders with EL framework

As part of the launch, the Ministry has planned a comprehensive roadshow programme to familiarise stakeholders with the Exploration Licence framework, auction methodology and incentives available to explorers.

The programme will include presentations on the e-auction process through the MSTC portal, auction rules and the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) scheme, which provides partial reimbursement of eligible exploration expenditure.

An open house session will also be organised to address queries and suggestions from stakeholders.

Builds on first tranche covering critical minerals

The second tranche builds on the first round of Exploration Licence auctions launched on March 13, 2025 in Goa by Reddy and Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.

The first tranche comprised 13 Exploration Licence blocks covering critical minerals such as Rare Earth Elements (REE), Zinc, Diamond, Copper and Platinum Group Elements (PGE).

The rollout of EL auctions forms part of broader reforms aimed at accelerating mineral exploration and securing domestic supply chains for strategic and critical minerals.

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