Gandhinagar: India’s mineral sector achieved a record milestone in the financial year 2025–26 with the auction of 200 mineral blocks, the highest ever in a single year, with Gujarat emerging as the top contributing state in the process, the Union Ministry of Mines announced on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Mines, Gujarat led the country with 32 mineral blocks, followed by Rajasthan with 30 and Tamil Nadu with 22 blocks.

Out of the 200 auctioned blocks, 123 are Mining Lease (ML) blocks and 77 are Composite Licence (CL) blocks, indicating a balanced mix of operational and exploration-focused opportunities. In addition, Notices Inviting Tenders (NITs) for 70 mineral blocks (38 ML and 32 CL) are currently underway, which is expected to further enhance the total number of successful auctions during the financial year.

The auctions covered several key minerals, with limestone accounting for 76 blocks, the highest among all minerals, followed by iron ore with 40 blocks and bauxite with 30 blocks, reflecting strong demand from core industrial sectors such as cement, steel, and aluminium.

A major highlight of the year was the auction of 22 critical mineral blocks, which are considered strategically important for long-term resource security. Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, and Maharashtra were among the major contributors in this category. DeshGujarat