Overview
- India’s Coal and Mines Ministry, which held a Hyderabad roadshow Monday, said coal stocks exceed 200 million tonnes, enough for about 90 days of demand.
- Union minister G Kishan Reddy said coal output hit 1 billion tonnes for a second straight year, framing the minerals drive as a self-reliance effort rather than a revenue play.
- Union mines secretary Piyush Goyal reported a record 212 mineral blocks auctioned in FY2025–26, bringing the total to 684 since auctions began in 2015.
- The 7th tranche of critical and strategic blocks launched on March 23 offers 19 areas, including 17 combined exploration-and-mining rights and two mining leases.
- In critical minerals, 22 blocks were auctioned this year for a total of 71 so far, and the government is drafting an urban mining plan that targets recovering about 30–40% of key metals from scrap with private, PSU, and state partners.