Govt set to auction 90 critical mineral mines

Only 19 out of 107 identified mines were auctioned by states in the last 4 yrs

- Mihir Mishra

The central government is set to auction around 90 mines containing critical minerals, such as lithium, which had not been put under the hammer by states for almost four years, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The change in the auction process was initiated soon after the Rajya Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, earlier in the day. With this amendment, the Centre now has the authority to conduct the auctions for these mines, marking a departure from the practice, wherein states were responsible for the auctions.

According to the official, only 19 out of the 107 identified mines were auctioned by states in the last four years. Now, the central government will be taking prompt action to auction 88 mines where auctions were long overdue, he added.