Mines Ministry Launches Ninth Round of Critical Mineral Block Auctions: 20 Blocks on Offer
On November 5, 2026, the Ministry of Mines launched the ninth tranche (round) of auctions for critical and strategic mineral blocks. It offers 20 blocks.
The blocks are spread over eight states: Chhattisgarh (5), Rajasthan (3), Telangana (3), West Bengal (3), Madhya Pradesh (2), Maharashtra (2), Bihar (1) and Andhra Pradesh (1). They contain minerals such as graphite, vanadium, gallium, titanium, tungsten and scandium.
Across the first eight tranches, 100 unique critical and strategic mineral blocks were offered, and 64 were successfully auctioned.
The Ministry also launched the third tranche of Exploration Licence (EL) auctions. These licences are for searching (exploring) for 29 critical and deep-seated minerals. In the first two EL tranches, 11 blocks were auctioned.
The auctions run online on the MSTC e-auction platform. Mining blocks go to the bidder offering the highest share of revenue to the government. Exploration licence blocks go to the bidder asking for the lowest share of future mining revenue.
The Mineral (Auction) Third Amendment Rules, 2026, notified on October 16, 2026, reduced the minimum number of technically qualified bidders needed for the second round from three to two for these minerals. Technical bids are due by January 7, 2027.
Critical Minerals: Meaning, India's List and Global Supply Chains
Critical minerals are minerals that a country needs badly for its economy and security, but whose supply is at risk. They go into mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, computer chips and defence equipment. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and the rare earth elements are well-known examples. The danger is that mining and, even more, processing of many of these minerals is concentrated in a few countries, especially China.
The ninth tranche is part of India's effort to find and mine critical minerals at home instead of depending on imports. Getting these 20 blocks into the hands of miners is the first step towards a domestic supply chain for batteries, electronics and defence.
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, or MMDR Act, is India's main law on mining. It decides who can search for minerals, who can mine them, for how long, how mining rights are given and what payments miners must make to the government. Normally state governments grant mining rights, but the Act gives the Centre special powers for some minerals.
The ninth tranche of mining blocks is being auctioned by the Centre using its Section 11D power for Part D minerals. The third EL tranche uses the exploration licence created by Section 10BA. Both were made possible by the 2023 amendment.
National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM): India's Plan to Secure Minerals of the Future
The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) is the Government of India's seven-year programme to make the country self-reliant in critical minerals. It covers the whole chain: exploring for minerals, mining them, processing them, recycling them and buying mineral assets abroad. It is run by the Ministry of Mines.
Regular auction tranches are one of the main tools through which the NCMM turns exploration into actual mines. Faster auctions with fewer required bidders are meant to move blocks from "discovered" to "producing" sooner.
- Ninth tranche launched: November 5, 2026; 20 critical and strategic mineral blocks in 8 states
- State-wise: Chhattisgarh 5; Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal 3 each; Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra 2 each; Bihar, Andhra Pradesh 1 each
- Previous eight tranches: 100 blocks offered, 64 auctioned
- Third tranche of Exploration Licence auctions also launched; 11 EL blocks auctioned in first two tranches
- Mining blocks: highest revenue share wins (ascending forward auction); EL blocks: lowest revenue share wins (descending reverse auction)
- Mineral (Auction) Third Amendment Rules, 2026: notified October 16, 2026; minimum qualified bidders for round two cut from 3 to 2
- India's critical minerals list: 30 minerals (2023); 24 in Part D of the MMDR Act's First Schedule
- NCMM: approved January 29, 2025; ₹34,300 crore total over 7 years