In a first for the country, the Ministry of Mines informed on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) that thirty mineral blocks have been made operational in a single financial year, that is, FY 2025-26.

Essential to note, most of the blocks that have been made operational are that of limestone, followed by iron ore.

Majority of the standalone limestone blocks made operational are situated in Gujarat, that is, four blocks, followed by Madhya Pradesh with three blocks, with Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Assam accounting for one block each.

Iron ore blocks made operational originate in Goa (four blocks) whilst Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka housing two blocks each. For example, Odisha has three mines where iron ore and manganese co-exist, while limestone co-exists with marl in two blocks, and with marl and bauxite in one such block— both in Gujarat.

Essential to note, the two minerals, other than their standalone mines, also exist alongside other minerals as marl and bauxite in other mines that have been made operational.

Overall, majority of the blocks auctioned belong to Gujarat (8 blocks), Madhya Pradesh and Odisha (5 blocks each), Goa (4 blocks), Karnataka and Rajasthan (2 blocks each) whilst Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Assam account for one block each.