India's Mineral Exploration Accelerates: GSI, States Urged to Speed Up

New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) The government on Monday asked the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and other agencies to speed up exploration of mineral blocks.

Speaking at the 63rd Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting, Mines Secretary V L Kantha Rao urged state governments to be more aggressive in the implementation of exploration projects through the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) funding.

The GSI and other exploration agencies should increase the pace of exploration of critical minerals, Rao said.

He further urged stakeholders to make use of geoscience data available in the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) portal for a smooth exploration process, the mines ministry said in a statement.

The GSI has formulated about 1,055 scientific programmes for 2024-25, including 392 mineral development projects that have the potential to generate auctionable mineral blocks, in the near future.