Parliament Question: Frameworks to Track and Monitor Mineral Block

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2814 ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026 FRAMEWORKS TO TRACK AND MONITOR MINERAL BLOCK

2814. SHRI RADHESHYAM RATHIYA:

SHRI YOGENDER CHANDOLIA:

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:

SHRI KRISHNA PRASAD TENNETI:

SHRI ANIL FIROJIYA:

SHRI GODAM NAGESH:

SMT. APARAJITA SARANGI:

SMT. MALVIKA DEVI:

SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

SHRI BIBHU PRASAD TARAI:

SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the framework implemented by the Government to track developmental milestones of mineral blocks following the finalization of mining lease agreements along with the mineral blocks monitored so far under the said framework in the Kanker and Balod districts of Chhattisgarh;

(b) the status of development of the digital platform for live tracking and monitoring of auctioned mineral blocks and the time by when the mineral blocks of Kanker and Balod districts are likely to be integrated into the said platform; and

(c) the concrete measures being taken by the Government to streamline mandatory regulatory approvals such as Environmental, Forest and District Mineral Foundation

(DMF) clearances to expedite the operationalisation of mining activities along with the number of pending approvals in Kanker district? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL AND MINES (SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY)

(a) & (b): Ministry of Mines has developed Unified Mining Portal (UMP) framework, in consultation with the State Governments, under Rule 25 of the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015, as a centralized digital platform for end-to-end tracking and monitoring of the mineral block lifecycle from auction to operationalisation. At present, 10 major mineral blocks auctioned in the Kanker and Balod districts of Chhattisgarh have been integrated into UMP and are monitored through the portal. The status of these blocks is given at Annexure.(c): Ministry of Mines, in collaboration with State Governments, has undertaken several measures to accelerate operationalization of all auctioned mineral blocks including the auctioned mineral blocks in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. Some of the

key measures undertaken are as follows: i. A dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) has been established at Ministry of Mines for continuous monitoring of auctioned blocks. ii. Monthly review meetings with State Governments are held under the chairmanship of the Secretary (Mines) to monitor the progress of auction and operationalisation of mineral blocks and resolve bottlenecks.

iii. State-specific review meetings with concerned officials from mining, forest, environment, revenue departments and concerned bidders are convened under the chairmanship of the Hon'ble Union Minister of Mines and Secretary (Mines).

iv. Pre-Auction Committees have been constituted by major mineral States to resolve land scheduling issues before the auction process, facilitating more participation of bidders and faster operationalisation.

v. State-level Coordination Committees under Chief Secretary have been constituted by the major mineral states to address the bottlenecks and fast- track the operationalization of auctioned mines. vi. The Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 have been amended to introduce intermediary timelines, automatic declaration of preferred bidder and automatic issuance of Letter of Intent (LoI), accountability for delays by bidders and State Governments, and incentives for early operationalisation.

vii. The State Governments have been incentivized to accelerate the auction of major minerals blocks and expedite operationalization of mines through financial incentives under Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) in FY 2025-26.

viii. Legislative and policy reforms have been undertaken, including provision for inclusion of new minerals in existing mining leases, one-time area extension for Mining Lease (ML)/ Composite Licence (CL), and removal of restrictions on sale of minerals from captive mines to increase ease of doing business.

*****Annexure Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of LS US PQ no. 2814 for answer on 05.08.2026 regarding ‘Frameworks to Track and Monitor Mineral Block’ Sr Name of the Auction District Mineral ML/CL LoI Date Remark no. Block Date Mining Plan 1 Dallirajhara Balod Iron Ore Block ML 04.05.2022 08.09.2022 Approved Mining Plan

2. Kalwar Kanker Iron Ore Block ML 06.05.2022 08.09.2022 Approved Mining Plan

3. Dondi Balod Iron Ore Block CL 01.08.2022 27.01.2023 Approved CL Lease

4. Thakurtola Balod Iron Ore Block CL 03.08.2022 27.01.2023 deed executed CL Lease 5 Lohattar Kanker Iron Ore Block CL 27.03.2023 05.10.2023 deed executed CL Lease 6 Hahaladdi Kanker Iron Ore Block CL 22.03.2023 04.10.2023 deed executed CL Lease Tumrisur- 7 Kanker Gold Block CL 12.12.2023 17.03.2025 deed Garda II executed Hahaladdi CL Lease 8 North Kanker Iron Ore Block CL 28.03.2025 28.05.2025 deed Extension executed Phosphorite CL Lease 9 Semhardih Balod and CL 15.05.2025 02.09.2025 deed Limestone executed Phosphorite CL Lease 10 Raipura Balod and CL 16.05.2025 02.09.2025 deed Limestone executed