GSI to pursue 300 critical mineral exploration projects next year: D-G Saha

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has plans to pursue approximately 300 projects for exploration of critical minerals in the upcoming field season, said Director General Asit Saha.

“We will be increasing the number of critical mineral exploration projects from 236 in the current field season to 300 in the next field season,” he told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.

“We have already formulated plans for them and will start the projects really soon,” he added.

Mr. Saha said that about 125 to 150 of these projects were for exploration of rare earths.

The Director General further noted that the outlook reinforced GSI’s momentum to outdo the stipulated target of pursuing 1,200 exploration projects for critical minerals before the FY 2030-31 deadline under the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM).

Between field season 2020-21 and 2025-26, the Kolkata-headquartered explorer had completed 858 projects for exploration of critical minerals.

Notwithstanding the preponed attainment, Mr. Saha maintained, “We will not stop there, we will continue to increase the number of projects because the idea is to give as many probable critical blocks for auction as possible.”

Essential to note, the figure does not include copper which is classified as a critical mineral. Mr. Saha informed that GSI would also be separately doing approximately 50-60 more projects for copper during the 2026-27 field season.

The Director General said that alongside exploration it is essential to spur midstream processing as well, which is transforming critical minerals present in ores for end-use industrial usability.

“Rare earths are available not only in beach sand, but also inland and/or within rocks, like carbonatite or other alkali rocks,” Mr. Saha said, adding, “It is there [in the mentioned forms] in Assam, Gujarat’s Ambadongar which is very famous and Rajasthan’s Sivana. These are places where large deposits of rare earths are present.”

To a query about the potential for lithium in India and about the lack of takers for mining in reserves discovered in Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Saha observed that mining both lithium and nickel in India require an “altogether different strategy”.

Responding to a query about potential foreign exploration being undertaken by GSI, Mr. Saha informed they are exploring the feasibility of a site in Zambia for copper.