New Delhi
Vedanta Group has secured four critical mineral blocks, while state-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) won one, in the fourth round of mineral auctions, the government announced on Thursday.
Vedanta’s successful bids include a vanadium and graphite mine in Arunachal Pradesh, a cobalt, manganese, and iron (poly-metal) mine in Karnataka, and a tungsten block in Tamil Nadu through its subsidiary, Hindustan Zinc Ltd. OIL won a graphite and vanadium block in Arunachal Pradesh.
This marks a significant expansion in the country’s mineral auction landscape, with the Northeast region seeing its first successful auction of four blocks. This round also featured the first-ever tungsten auction and two cobalt blocks, crucial for high-tech and green energy applications.
The auction, launched by the Ministry of Mines, drew strong industry interest, ultimately auctioning eight blocks out of 21 initially tendered. The total number of successful critical and strategic mineral auctions now stands at 22. The remaining two blocks will complete the auction process by December 2.
These mineral resources are vital for advancing technologies in sectors like defence, energy storage, and high-tech industries, helping reduce India’s reliance on mineral imports.
