Rajasthan Ranks First in Mineral Block Auctions
Lease deeds completed for 14 blocks after all necessary clearances; mining operations to commence by November end
UdaipurTimes, Nov 10, 2026 - A high-level video conference was organised on Monday, November 9, by the Ministry of Mines, GoI, to review the progress of mineral block auctions, operationalisation and mining activities across the country. During the meeting, Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, highly commended Rajasthan's stellar progress and highlighted that this is a direct result of the Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's visionary leadership, strategic reforms and robust model of good governance.
Chief Secretary V Srinivas attended the session via video conference and presented details of the State’s remarkable achievements.
During the conference it was highlighted that Rajasthan has emerged as the national leader by successfully auctioning 140 major mineral blocks. In a mineral-rich State like Rajasthan, the auctioning of such a vast number of blocks is rapidly accelerating investments in the mining sector.
Against an initial target to operationalise 11 auctioned blocks, Rajasthan surpassed expectations by completing the lease deed formalities for 14 blocks after securing all required statutory permissions. Formal mining operations in all 14 blocks will commence by the end of November, ensuring that the benefits of these auctions translate into immediate ground-level production.
The review meeting highlighted a new benchmark: of the 10 major mining States in India, Rajasthan successfully auctioned the highest number of blocks by delivering eight blocks featuring pre-embedded clearances. By processing essential regulatory approvals prior to the auction, the State governance has minimised hurdles for successful bidders, making the transition to active mining smoother, simpler and strictly time-bound.
The Chief Secretary said the State Government is operating on a balanced framework that aligns transparent resource utilisation with environmental conservation and industrial advancement. He noted that the timely digitisation and data uploading of block auctions on the Unified Mining Portal, along with land banks on the Parivesh Portal, have been fully ensured. Consolidating this data onto unified platforms has drastically enhanced both procedural speed and systemic transparency.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to maintain this momentum and keep Rajasthan at the forefront of the nation's mining sector.
