The Ministry of Mines will launch the second tranche of Exploration Licence (EL) block auctions on February 12, 2026, at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI) in New Delhi. The move marks another key milestone in India’s mineral sector reforms aimed at boosting exploration and strengthening long-term mineral security, particularly for critical and deep-seated minerals.

The event will be held in the presence of Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, along with senior ministry officials and representatives from state governments, industry and other stakeholders.

On the occasion, the Ministry will also unveil the next-generation digital portal of the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The cloud-enabled platform integrates data acquisition, analysis, visualisation and dissemination, and is equipped with AI and machine learning-based tools. With interoperability with the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR), the portal is expected to enhance transparency, efficiency and data-driven decision-making in the mineral exploration ecosystem.

As part of the launch, a comprehensive roadshow programme has been planned to familiarise stakeholders with the Exploration Licence framework, auction methodology and incentives available to explorers. The programme will include presentations on the e-auction process via the MSTC portal, auction rules and the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) scheme, which offers partial reimbursement of eligible exploration expenditure. An open house session will also be conducted to address stakeholder queries and suggestions.

The second tranche builds on the successful rollout of the first tranche, which comprised 13 Exploration Licence blocks covering critical minerals such as Rare Earth Elements (REE), Zinc, Diamond, Copper and Platinum Group Elements (PGE). The first tranche was launched on March 13, 2025, in Goa by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.