Chhattisgarh finalises 45 high-impact mineral exploration projects

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh State Geological Programming Board (SGPB) has finalised 45 high-priority exploration projects for the upcoming fiscal year in its 26th landmark session, marking a step bringing India closer to self-reliance.

Key points

• During 2025-26, the Directorate of Geology and Mining successfully established massive reserves of 2, 590 million tonnes of limestone and 32.26 million tonnes of iron ore.
• The state generated record revenues of Rs 16, 738 crore in mining royalties and revenues during FY 2025-26, underscoring Chhattisgarh's pivotal role in the national economy.
• The Geological Survey of India (Raipur Unit) will spearhead 25 of these exploration initiatives, deploying advanced technologies particularly throughout South Bastar.
• Underlining the state's significant exploration outputs, Special Secretary and Director of Geology and Mining, Rajat Bansal, shared key figures on major resource deposits established throughout the state.
• The Financial Year 2026-27 agenda prioritises strategic reserves including lithium, rare earth elements (REE), rare metals, graphite, tin-tantalum-niobium, glauconite, and bauxite keeping critical minerals at the forefront.

Chaired by Secretary of Mineral Resources P Dayanand, the high-level summit brought together top minds from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), key central research bodies, and industry leaders to chart a bold roadmap for critical deep-seated mineral discovery.

"The sustained effort will maintain momentum in the exploration of critical and strategic minerals while significantly strengthening the state's mineral resource base, " remarked Dayanand.

Highlighting the state's growing economic and resource momentum, top authorities from the Mineral Resources Department and the Directorate of Geology and Mining detailed Chhattisgarh's record revenue generation and major mineral exploration achievements.

Notably, the comprehensive plan includes 35 critical and strategic mineral blocks, 4 deep-seated mineral blocks, and 6 bulk mineral projects.

For context, the Geological Survey of India (Raipur Unit) will spearhead 25 of these exploration initiatives, deploying advanced technologies particularly throughout South Bastar.

Meanwhile, the Financial Year 2026-27 agenda prioritises strategic reserves including lithium, rare earth elements (REE), rare metals, graphite, tin-tantalum-niobium, glauconite, and bauxite keeping critical minerals at the forefront.

"This massive expansion of identified reserves represents a major milestone in advancing mineral exploration activities across Chhattisgarh, " Bansal remarked.

In practice, the state generated record revenues of Rs 16, 738 crore in mining royalties and revenues during FY 2025-26, underscoring Chhattisgarh's pivotal role in the national economy.

In practice, the GSI formally handed over specialized mineral resource maps for five key districts to empower data-driven exploration.

For context, the collaborative summit witnessed active participation from premier organisations including NMDC, IBM, AMD, MECL, CIMFR, CMPDIL, MOIL, and Hindustan Copper Limited, alongside private sector stalwarts like Jindal Steel, UltraTech Cement, and Deccan Gold.

With nine ongoing Notified Private Exploration Agency (NPEA, assigned by the Indian Ministry of Mines) projects continuing at full throttle, Chhattisgarh is positioning itself as the vanguard of India's critical mineral renaissance.

For now, chhattisgarh finalises 45 high-impact mineral exploration projects remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.