Whalesbook
Toh bhaiyo aur behno, yeh jo 101 mineral blocks ab kaam karne lage hain na, iska matlab hai ki jo resources allocate kiye gaye the, woh ab actual production mein aa gaye hain. Centre aur state governments ne milkar processes ko easy banaya hai aur approvals jaldi mil rahe hain, taaki desh self-sufficient ban sake.
Sabse zyada blocks Odisha mein hain, wahaan 34 chaloo hain, uske baad Karnataka mein 18 aur Gujarat mein 11. Ab yeh dekho, mining sector desh ke GDP mein lagbhag 2.0% contribute karta hai aur iska GVA 2.7% grow kar raha hai. Coal, oil aur metals ka production badha hai. Jaise ki iron ore ka example lo, 2014-15 mein 129 million tonnes banta tha, woh ab 2022-23 mein 258 million tonnes ho gaya hai! Double!
Lekin ek problem thi, ki mines ko operational hone mein bohot time lagta hai. Duniya bhar mein average 17.9 saal lagte hain discovery se operation tak. India mein bhi 2015 se 585 major blocks auction hue, par January 2026 tak sirf 82 hi operational hue the, matlab sirf 13.8% rate. Ab naye rules aaye hain October 2025 mein, jisse mining plans ke liye 6 mahine, environmental clearances ke liye 18 mahine aur lease execution ke liye 12 mahine ka target hai, taaki delays kam hon.
Global level pe bhi 16 saal lag jaate hain project start hone mein. Australia aur Canada jaise deshon mein toh 20-27 saal lagte hain, par unka success rate India se behtar hai. India ka historical operational rate 13.8% tha, jo ab 101 operational blocks se badhega. FY 2025-26 mein 30 blocks online aaye hain, jo ek record hai. Lekin abhi bhi India ka mining sector GDP mein 2.0-2.2% hi deta hai, jabki Australia jaise desh 8-10% tak dete hain. Efficiency badhani padegi.
India ka metals aur mining sector ab recover kar raha hai, domestic demand aur commodity prices badh rahe hain. Infrastructure, urbanization aur manufacturing se ferrous metals ki demand hai. Middle East tensions bhi prices ko boost kar rahe hain. Lekin coking coal aur iron ore ke volatile prices ek concern hain. Critical minerals jaise lithium, cobalt ke liye hum import par depend hain, isliye domestic resources development zaroori hai 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' ke liye. Sector ka market size 2035 tak $1.5 trillion ho sakta hai!
Abhi bhi badi challenges hain. 594 blocks auction hue the January 2026 tak, par 512 abhi bhi produce nahi kar rahe. Isliye kuch companies ko bidding se bahar bhi kiya ja sakta hai. Environmental approvals, infrastructure, technology, logistics mein delays hain. India mineral exploration mein competitors jaise Canada aur Australia se bohot kam invest karta hai. FDI bhi kam hai. Critical minerals ka processing cost zyada hai. Offshore blocks (cobalt, nickel) ki auction bhi bidders na hone ki wajah se fail hui.
Ministry of Mines ab stricter timelines aur penalties laga rahi hai, aur early production ke liye incentives bhi de rahi hai. Auction se operation tak ka time kam karne ki koshish hai. FY 2025-26 mein 200 se zyada blocks auction hue hain, ab unhe production mein lana main goal hai. Demand for critical minerals 2040 tak bohot badhne wali hai. Infrastructure, supportive policies aur import dependency kam karne ki koshish sector ko aage le jayegi.