Hyderabad: For the first time, India is moving towards potash mining, aiming for greater self-reliance in fertilizer minerals under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, stated that developing potash mining will help reduce import needs and support agriculture and farmers.
On Tuesday, Reddy discussed the recent Tranche V auction of critical mineral blocks, which began on January 28. The auction was successful, with 10 out of 15 blocks sold.
The auction included important minerals like graphite, phosphorite, phosphate, rare earth elements (REE), vanadium, and for the first time, potash and halite. These blocks are spread across Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. With this event, the total number of blocks auctioned by the government has risen to 34.
Reddy highlighted that auctioning a potash block is a significant achievement, marking the government’s first potash block auction. This initiative is expected to boost potash mining in India, lessen import dependency, and enhance agricultural support. Additionally, this marks Rajasthan’s first successful auction of a critical mineral block.
So far, 34 blocks have been auctioned in five rounds out of 55 critical mineral blocks available for bidding.
Regular auctions of critical mineral blocks are crucial to the Ministry of Mines’ strategy for achieving self-sufficiency in essential minerals. The Ministry is also focused on exploring these minerals and has started the National Critical Mineral Mission to build a sustainable mineral ecosystem in India. The Ministry values industry participation in auctions and initiatives to reach mineral self-sufficiency.
