Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy launched the second tranche of auction of Exploration Licence blocks in New Delhi, advancing the Government's efforts to strengthen the mineral exploration ecosystem. He emphasised the need to reduce dependence on mineral imports by accelerating domestic exploration and by encouraging greater participation of the private sector alongside government agencies. The Minister said the Government is committed to building a structured, transparent and technology-driven exploration framework to unlock untapped mineral potential. He underlined the strategic importance of critical minerals and stated that a robust and efficient exploration regime will be pivotal to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and enhancing self-reliance in the mineral sector. He described the measures as transformative reforms that aim to enhance transparency, efficiency and investment in mining. He noted the mining sector is witnessing changes designed to improve governance and business opportunities. At the event, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) launched the Next-Generation (NG) Portal, a cloud-enabled platform that integrates data acquisition, analysis, visualisation and dissemination with AI and machine learning tools. The portal is interoperable with the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) and is expected to strengthen transparency, efficiency and data-driven decision making in mineral exploration. The launch and roadshow were attended by Piyush Goyal, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, and Sanjay Lohia, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines. Presentations outlined the exploration licence blocks under the second tranche and explained the exploration licence regime, tender process and the e-auction mechanism. The second tranche follows an encouraging response to the first and comprises 11 blocks of critical and deep-seated minerals spread across eight States. The Exploration Licence regime introduced under the MMDR Amendment Act 2023 and the Mineral Auction Amendment Rules 2023 was said to have strengthened transparency, improved ease of doing business and expanded opportunities for participation by both private and public sector players. A scheme for partial reimbursement of exploration expenses for holders of exploration licences was also presented.