Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Mines implemented comprehensive policy reforms to modernise India’s mining ecosystem and strengthen mineral security in 2025, an official statement said on December 31. Key measures included the enactment of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2025, expansion and renaming of the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust (NMEDT), reflecting its expanded role to not just explore but also facilitate the development and overseas acquisition of strategic minerals, funded by increased contributions from mining lessees as part of major 2025 mining reforms.
NMEDT’s enhanced funding, streamlined auction processes with defined timelines, removal of restrictions on captive mine sales, reclassification of select minerals as major minerals, notification of royalty rates for critical minerals, promotion of mineral exchanges, and implementation of offshore mining reforms were important milestones achieved during the year, said the statement.
Together, these reforms aim to improve transparency, ease of doing business, accelerate mineral production, and support sustainable development, positioning the mining sector as a strategic pillar in achieving the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Mines.
The year 2025 witnessed a sharp acceleration in the country’s mineral resource development. A total of 141 mineral blocks were successfully auctioned by December 5, 2025. This included 79 blocks auctioned for Mining Lease (ML) and 62 blocks awarded as Composite Licence (CL).
