Mining machinery and other vehicles are seen inside a coal mine in Odisha.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
In the next five years, between 2026 and 2031, the Ministry of Mines plans to intensify mineral exploration activities significantly with primary focus on strategic and critical minerals, said Piyush Goyal, Secretary of the concerned Ministry.
Speaking at the 65th meeting of the Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) on Wednesday (January 21, 2026), Mr. Goyal mentioned, “We have asked the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to increase the number of exploration project to five hundred with at least three hundred should be dealing with strategic or critical minerals.”
Urging the Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL), private exploration agencies and States’ Directorate of Geology and Mining (DGM) to spur exploration efforts, the senior bureaucrat held, “We should complete entire mapping of the country, [particularly] the obvious geopotential areas definitely by 2030.” He added it would require “coordinated” efforts from all stakeholders.
Delving on private exploration agencies and state governments playing a “more proactive role” in exploration, he urged them to utilise funds from the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET). “That would tackle the problem of getting less budgets from the central or state governments,” he said.
Later in his address, though noting that GSI has taken up projects with private explorers in participation mode, Mr. Goyal held, “I am not very happy with the pace of the projects. We need to change our mindset, have a sense of urgency and realise that the country is missing out on key opportunities,” adding, “Given the present geopolitical context, we have absolutely no time to waste.”
Published – January 21, 2026 06:30 pm IST
