Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy launched the seventh tranche of the electronic auction of critical and strategic mineral blocks, marking a step to strengthen India’s mineral security and accelerate mining sector development. He emphasised that critical minerals will be central to achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by supporting clean energy, advanced technologies and manufacturing. He said the transparent, technology driven e auction mechanism has transformed resource allocation and that reforms to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) framework have simplified procedures and reduced delays. The introduction of Insurance Surety Bonds as an alternative to bank guarantees aims to lower financial barriers for bidders and recent amendments were designed to enable faster operationalisation of auctioned blocks. The Secretary in the Ministry of Mines highlighted the role of cooperative federalism in the success of mineral auctions. Officials added that the amendments streamline timelines for post auction requirements such as performance security and issuance of the Letter of Intent. Blocks are offered across states including Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttarakhand, with numbers of blocks ranging from one to four. The blocks include Rare Earth Elements (REE), tungsten, lithium, graphite, vanadium, titanium, glauconite and rock phosphate, vital for clean energy, fertilisers and strategic uses. Officials said these minerals support the energy transition, advanced manufacturing and fertiliser production. Sale of tender documents commenced on March 30, 2026; last date for purchase is May 18, 2026 by 17:00 hrs IST and bids are due by May 25, 2026 by 17:00 hrs IST. The online two stage ascending forward auction will select bidders based on the highest percentage of the value of mineral despatched quoted and detailed terms are available on the MSTC platform. Authorities encouraged interested parties to review the platform and indicated that Insurance Surety Bonds should broaden participation by providing flexibility over bank guarantees.