MMDR Amendment Act, 2023
Opening Critical Minerals to Private Exploration
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023 removed six minerals — lithium, titanium, beryllium, niobium, tantalum, and zirconium-bearing minerals — from the list of 12 "atomic minerals" under Part B of the First Schedule, which had earlier restricted their exploration and mining to government entities only. The amendment also empowered the Central Government to exclusively auction mineral concessions for critical and deep-seated minerals (Part D of the First Schedule) and introduced a new concession type, the Exploration Licence (EL), for reconnaissance and prospecting of such minerals.
- Enacted: 2023, amending the parent Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957
- Removed lithium and five other minerals from the restricted "atomic minerals" list, opening them to private and foreign investment
- Introduced Exploration Licence (EL) as a new, auction-based concession category under a new Seventh Schedule
- Auction revenue from critical mineral concessions accrues to the concerned state government
● Tracked since March 22, 2026 · last seen September 11, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes