Raipur : Chhattisgarh has cleared 45 mineral exploration projects for 2026-27, including blocks containing lithium, graphite, rare earth elements and other critical minerals, as the state looks to expand its mineral resource base and step up exploration in southern Bastar.
The projects were finalised at the 26th meeting of the State Geological Programming Board (SGPB), chaired by Mineral Resources Department Secretary P Dayanand.
Senior officials from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), state government and representatives of mining and mineral-based industries attended the meeting.
Of the 45 projects, 35 are related to critical and strategic minerals, four involve deep-seated mineral deposits and six are bulk mineral exploration projects. The GSI’s Raipur unit will undertake 25 of the projects.
The Directorate of Geology and Mining has separately finalised 11 exploration proposals for the current financial year. These include one graphite, two limestone, four iron ore, two glauconite, one rare earth elements (REE) and rare metals, and one bauxite and aluminous laterite block.
The approved exploration programme also includes lithium and tin-tantalum-niobium deposits, underlining the state’s push to identify minerals considered important for strategic and emerging industries.
{{/usCountry}}The approved exploration programme also includes lithium and tin-tantalum-niobium deposits, underlining the state’s push to identify minerals considered important for strategic and emerging industries.
{{/usCountry}}The development comes after the state established resources of 2,590 million tonnes of limestone and 32.26 million tonnes of iron ore through exploration during 2025-26, officials said.
“These are important achievements in the direction of mineral exploration in the state,” Special Secretary and Director, Geology and Mining, Rajat Bansal said.
Four exploration projects approved in 2025-26 will continue during the current financial year, while nine projects sanctioned under the National Programme for Exploration and Augmentation (NPEA) will also remain operational, officials said.
Dayanand said the state received around ₹16,738 crore in mining royalty and other revenue during 2025-26.
The board also called for faster mineral exploration in southern Bastar and the use of advanced technologies to assess deposits located deep underground, officials said.
The GSI handed over mineral resource maps of five districts to the Mineral Resources Department during the meeting.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the GSI, Indian Bureau of Mines, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited, National Mineral Development Corporation, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Central Ground Water Board, CMPDI, MOIL, Hindustan Copper Limited and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation.