The Centre has cancelled the auction of nine critical and strategic mineral blocks offered in the seventh round of auctions after receiving a poor investor response and an insufficient number of qualified bidders.
The move is a setback to the government's efforts to boost domestic production of critical minerals needed for energy security, clean technology manufacturing, and reducing import dependence.
According to the Ministry of Mines, the auction of two mineral blocks was cancelled after no bids were received. These are the Majhauli Titanium, Vanadium and Aluminous Laterite Block in Madhya Pradesh and the RAMB Degana Tungsten, Lithium and Associated Mineral Block in Rajasthan.
The ministry also cancelled the auction of seven other mineral blocks after fewer than three technically qualified bidders participated. These include the Nawara-Nawadih, Tipa, Shahpur, Gurur and Karahibhadar Glauconite Blocks, the Sapneri Vanadium-bearing Magnetite-Ilmenite Block, and the Naringpanga (South) Graphite Block located in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
The seventh round of auctions, launched on March 23, offered 19 critical and strategic mineral blocks under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, and the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015.
The latest cancellations follow similar outcomes in earlier auction rounds. The government had previously cancelled 11 blocks in the sixth round, five in the fifth, 11 in the fourth, three in the third, 14 in the second, and 13 in the first round.
The seventh tranche marked the first auction of critical mineral blocks in Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Telangana and included minerals such as graphite, rare earth elements, vanadium, titanium, glauconite and rock phosphate.