India plans to intensify mineral exploration focused on critical and strategic minerals (2026–2031)

The Hindu
The Hindu
1m ago
The government is directing a major scale-up in exploration and mapping, prioritizing critical and strategic minerals and pressing public and private actors to move faster and use NMET funding.
India plans to intensify mineral exploration focused on critical and strategic minerals (2026–2031)
★

Key insights

  • 1

    Exploration target and focus: The Ministry of Mines set a target of 500 exploration projects, with at least 300 focused on strategic or critical minerals.

  • 2

    Push for faster execution: The Mines Secretary said the pace of participation-mode projects with private explorers is too slow and called for a mindset change and urgency.

  • 3

    Funding lever for states and private players: States and private exploration agencies were urged to use National Mineral Exploration Trust funds to reduce reliance on central or state budget allocations.

A What happened
At the 65th meeting of the Central Geological Programming Board on January 21, 2026, Mines Secretary Piyush Goyal said the Ministry of Mines will intensify mineral exploration over the next five years (2026–2031) with a primary focus on strategic and critical minerals. He said the Geological Survey of India has been asked to increase exploration projects to 500, with at least 300 dealing with strategic or critical minerals. He urged the Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited, private exploration agencies, and State Directorates of Geology and Mining to accelerate efforts and complete mapping of the country. While noting GSI has taken up participation-mode projects with private explorers, he said he was not satisfied with the pace and called for greater urgency given the geopolitical context. He also urged private agencies and state governments to use National Mineral Exploration Trust funds to address budget constraints.

Topics

World & Politics Policy & Regulation Business & Markets Energy & Commodities Development

Stay ahead with OwlBrief

A daily set of high-signal briefs — what happened, why it matters, what to watch next.

Create Free Account Sign In

Newsletter

Get OwlBrief in your inbox

A fast, high-signal digest of the day’s most important events — plus the context that makes them make sense.

A handful of briefs — before your coffee gets cold.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We don’t sell your email.