Rajasthan Will Extract a Fortune from its Mineral Waste: National Critical Mineral Mission Gains Momentum from Udaipur
Udaipur, June 10, 2026 | Rajasthan Initiative: A new development being undertaken in Rajasthan under the National Critical Minerals Mission of the Government of India is gaining momentum. Recent studies on waste piles (tailings) from pink and green marble operations have yielded positive indications regarding the presence of significant quantities of high-quality critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, chromium, and gallium. These rich minerals from this waste are expected meet the requirements of the defence, green energy, aerospace, and aeronautical industries, thereby bolstering India's energy, strategic, and economic security. Rajasthan Breaking News
An agreement has been signed between the Mines Department's RSMET and IIT Dhanbad towards this exploration initiative. Under this agreement, a study is being conducted to recycle and commercially utilize the valuable critical and strategic minerals found in the state's massive, otherwise unused mineral dumps. This study mobilizes an innovative initiative. Udaipur Breaking News
Pilot Project in Udaipur Shaped This Initiative
Under a pilot project, the Mines Department has identified 78 dumps and organized them into clusters of 10 dumps each. A study was conducted on eight pink marble dumps and two green marble (serpentinite) dumps located in the Udaipur district and its surrounding clusters. Significant quantities of nickel, cobalt, chromium, and gallium have been detected in these dumps. Preliminary estimates suggest that these levels are 25 to 40 times higher than their average abundance in the Earth's crust. Udaipur News
A scientific assessment of the remaining 68 dumps and tailings—out of the 78 identified by the Department of Mines—is currently underway in collaboration with IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. It aims to assess available resources and determine the presence of critical minerals such as tungsten, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and Rare Earth Elements (REE). Mining News from Rajasthan
Areas to be Covered in Rajasthan
Piles of various minerals have already been identified in locations including Udaipur, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Salumbar, Rishabhdeo, Ajmer, Beawar, Sawar, Nagaur, Sirohi, Jodhpur, Balesar, Sojat City, and Jalore. Prof. Dheeraj Kumar (IIT Dhanbad), Emeritus Prof. AS Venkatesh (IIT-ISM), Danish (TexMin), and Vikram KY (Operations Management, IIT Delhi) met with Aparna Arora, Additional Chief Secretary (Mines and Petroleum), to discuss the potential for abundant critical minerals within these dumps. This process involves creating a geo-referenced database, mapping, sampling, extraction, and mineralogical analysis of the mine dumps. Innovation in Rajasthan
The Government of India has placed special emphasis on the exploration and mining of critical and strategic minerals, leading to envisaging the National Critical Minerals Mission, under which work is being fast-tracked on rare earth minerals, heavy rare earth minerals, and critical rare metals. Pioneering innovation in this field, Rajasthan has initiated the exploration of critical minerals from mineral dumps. Meanwhile, the state has achieved significant success in the sector of rare earth minerals and heavy rare earth minerals. Recently, deposits of critical and strategic minerals—specifically Rare Earth Elements (REE)—were discovered in the Siwana Ring Complex, and the Central Government is currently auctioning mineral blocks for these deposits. Mining News Udaipur