The Ministry of Mines organized a Roadshow in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, for the 8th Tranche of Auction of Critical and Strategic Mineral Blocks on August 31, 2026. The event was attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai as Chief Guest, along with Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey, Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, and CMDC Chairman Saurabh Singh, along with senior officials, industry representatives, and stakeholders.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai emphasized Chhattisgarh's rich mineral resources and the state's important role in India's mining and industrial development. He stressed the need to unlock the state's mineral potential through greater investment, faster development of mineral resources, and close coordination between the Centre and State, while assuring stakeholders of the state government's commitment to facilitating investment and creating a conducive environment for sustainable mineral development.
Minister Satish Chandra Dubey highlighted the strategic importance of critical and strategic minerals for India's economic growth, industrial development, clean energy transition, and emerging technologies. He emphasized accelerating exploration and development of these resources while encouraging greater industry and investor participation to strengthen domestic capabilities across the mineral value chain and advance the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Secretary of Mines Keshav Chandra provided detailed statistics on the auction program, noting that 88 Critical and Strategic Mineral Blocks have been put up for auction so far, of which 56 have been successfully auctioned, reflecting growing industry confidence in India's transparent and predictable mineral auction framework. The 8th Tranche comprises 20 mineral blocks, including 17 Composite Licence blocks and 3 Mining Lease blocks, spread across nine States. These blocks include Graphite, Rare Earth Elements, Rare Metals, Vanadium, Gallium, Titanium, Molybdenum, Tungsten, Potash, Phosphorite, and Glauconite. Five mineral blocks in this tranche are located in Chhattisgarh.
The government initiatives highlighted include the Unified Mining Portal to enhance ease of doing business, transparency, and efficiency in the mining sector by streamlining processes and strengthening coordination between Centre and States. The NMEDT Scheme provides partial reimbursement of exploration expenses for Composite Licence holders. A technical session featured presentations on the mineral blocks, auction framework, and e-auction process by officials from NMEDT, MECL, SBICAPS, and MSTC.
Following the Roadshow, a review meeting was held with mineral block allottees and preferred bidders to accelerate early operationalisation of allocated blocks. Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Government of Chhattisgarh reviewed progress, discussed key challenges, and provided guidance for timely resolution of implementation issues.