New Delhi, April 7 -- The Ministry of Mines has notified the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2026 on 30th March, 2026 for faster operationalisation of mines, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Mines.

This is the latest step of the Government in series of reforms for enhancing efficiency, transparency, and ease of doing business in the mining sector.

Previously, the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 were amended on 17th October 2025 to, inter alia, introduce intermediary timelines for various activities to be completed after issue of letter of intent (LoI) till execution of mining lease.

An amount of 1 per cent of performance security will be appropriated for each month of delay in completion of timelines by the ...