The Union Ministry of Mines will hold a roadshow in Nava Raipur on August 31 to promote investment and development in the mineral sector and to facilitate exploration and utilisation of critical and strategic mineral resources, officials said. The event will include Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, union ministers of state Tokhan Sahu and Satish Chandra Dubey, CMDC chairman Saurabh Singh and industry representatives. Organisers said the initiative aims to showcase opportunities for modern, transparent and technology driven mining.

The Centre has placed 20 mineral blocks in the eighth tranche of auctions, comprising three mining lease blocks and 17 composite licence blocks covering graphite, rare earth elements, rare metals, vanadium, gallium, titanium, molybdenum and tungsten. Officials said these minerals are important for energy security, technological advancement, industrial development and strategic needs. A technical session will address auction process, investment and exploration.

Several initiatives will be launched, including the Tin Portal and the E Ret Sangwari Portal, and memoranda of understanding will be exchanged between the CMDC and Indian Overseas Bank and between the CMDC and Pt Ravishankar Shukla University for corundum cutting and polishing training. Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd will present the blocks proposed for auction while SBI Caps will explain auction documentation and MSTC will outline the e auction process. A presentation will also cover the National Mineral Exploration Trust scheme for partial reimbursement of exploration expenditure for composite licence holders.

An open house discussion will allow industry representatives, investors and experts to deliberate on resource potential, investment opportunities and the auction process, followed by a review meeting to assess operationalisation and progress of major blocks already auctioned. Discussions will also focus on expediting commencement of mining projects and improving coordination among stakeholders, and a mine visit is proposed. Organisers said the roadshow is expected to give a fresh impetus to exploration and mining of critical and strategic minerals.