Telangana finds major critical mineral reserves, two blocks auctioned
HYDERABAD: The Union Ministry of Mines has confirmed that Telangana has important critical and strategic mineral resources. These include titanium, vanadium, gallium, aluminous laterite, and rare earth elements (REEs). Two large mineral blocks have already been auctioned, and more are planned for future auctions.
Answering a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey said the Geological Survey of India (GSI) found titanium, vanadium, and aluminous laterite in the Govindpur and Parvathapur mineral blocks. Both blocks are in Sangareddy district and have already been auctioned by the Central Government.
The Govindpur block has about 37.88 million tonnes of vanadium ore, 40.21 million tonnes of titanium ore, and 67.03 million tonnes of aluminous laterite. The Parvathapur block has about 15.26 million tonnes of vanadium ore, 51 million tonnes of titanium ore, and 87 million tonnes of aluminous laterite.
Rare Earth Elements found in Bhadradri Kothagudem
In addition, the GSI has also found an inferred resource of 8.15 million tonnes of alluvium in Pata Gangaram, Bhadradri Kothagudem District. This alluvium has an average rare earth elements (REEs) grade of 746 parts per million (ppm), showing there are rare earth minerals in Telangana.
Furthermore, three Geological Reports (GRs) about critical mineral blocks with aluminous laterite, vanadium, scandium, and gallium have been sent to the Central Government to consider for auction as Composite Licences. The Baswapur Titanium, Vanadium, Gallium, and Aluminous Laterite Block in Vikarabad District has already been listed for auction in the 8th round of critical mineral block auctions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has taken several steps to speed up starting work on mineral blocks and to support industries that process and add value to critical minerals in Telangana. These steps include changing the Mineral (Auction) Rules to set timelines and keep people accountable for delays, setting up a Project Management Unit (PMU) to watch progress, and creating the Unified Mining Portal to track the entire mineral block process online.
The Ministry also holds monthly review meetings with state governments and meets with officials from each state as needed. In addition, Pre-Auction Committees and State-Level Coordination Committees have been set up to solve problems. The Union Cabinet approved the National Critical Minerals Mission on January 29, 2025. The mission aims to make sure India has a steady supply of critical minerals and to strengthen the value chain from exploration to recycling and recovery.
These efforts are expected to help Telangana become stronger in the critical minerals sector and attract more investment in industries that process and add value to minerals in the state.
