(BS)
As part of its fifth-tranche auction, India, for the first time, on Tuesday auctioned Potash and Halite mines, with Coal India Ltd (CIL), Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), and Oil India Ltd (OIL) bagging critical and strategic mineral blocks, according to an official statement.
While Hindustan Zinc and Oil India won the Potash and Halite blocks, Coal India bagged the Graphite and Vanadium mineral block.
The fifth tranche was launched on January 28 and has concluded with an auction of 10 out of 15 blocks put up for bidding.
Mining will begin in Rajasthan after the due process at Jhandawali-Satipura and Jorkian-Satipura-Khunja Amalgated Potash and Halite blocks, the statement added.
To date, a total of 34 blocks have been successfully auctioned in five tranches out of 55 critical mineral blocks which were put up for auction.
Regular auction of critical mineral blocks is an important element in the strategy adopted by the Ministry of Mines towards building self-sufficiency in critical minerals in the country.
The Ministry of Mines is also focusing on the exploration of critical minerals and has launched the National Critical Mineral Mission for the development of critical mineral ecosystems in the country.
