PATNA, April 2 -- The state's mines and geology department has posted a revenue collection of Rs.3,592.60 crore in the financial year 2025-26, an increase of Rs.56.39 crore over the Rs.3,536.21 crore it earned in the last fiscal. Deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, who holds the mines portfolio, shared the figures on Wednesday while addressing a press conference at Soochna Bhawan. Sinha expressed confidence that the department would comfortably cross its Rs.3,800 crore target once pending payments from various government agencies land in its account this month. "We expect Rs.32 crore from the railways, Rs.70 crore from the rural works department, Rs.20 crore from the CPWD and Rs.6.5 crore from the Patna Metro," he said. These funds, along with Rs.309 crore held up for technical reasons on March 31, should push the final tally well beyond the target. The achievement is noteworthy because it came despite some stiff headwinds. As many as 78 sand mining leases - known locally as ghats along the Ganga and its tributaries - were surrendered by companies claiming massive losses. That alone meant a revenue shortfall of around Rs.600 crore. The companies blamed the government's strict checks on overloading of vehicles and illegal mining, measures the state has been enforcing to protect both revenue and the environment. Sinha made it clear that those firms will not get a second chance. "Companies that surrendered sand mining leases will not be allowed to participate in fresh tenders, even if they try under changed names, directors or partners," he warned. Fresh bids for 12 new sand ghats have already been invited. Receipts from other work departments also dipped - Rs.369 crore this year against Rs.511 crore the year before - adding to the pressure. Still, 21 districts beat their individual targets, and Sinha praised the officials for their effort. He was accompanied at the briefing by mines director Manesh Kumar Meena, additional secretary Bharat Bhushan Prasad and other senior officers. The department's long-term turnaround tells its own story. Revenue stood at a meagre Rs.41 crore in 2001-02. It climbed to Rs.263 crore by 2009-10 in the early years of the NDA government, touched Rs.1,700 crore in 2021-22 and nearly doubled to Rs.3,536 crore in 2024-25. "We have come a long way," Sinha noted. To keep the momentum going, the government has identified 30 blocks for stone mining leases that are now at an advanced stage of processing. Once cleared, the move is expected to reduce Bihar's dependence on stone imported from neighbouring states, create local jobs and add steadily to state coffers. Bihar is also making its mark in major minerals. Of the 14 blocks identified by the Geological Survey of India, three have already been successfully auctioned by the Union mines ministry. Fresh advertisements have been issued for three glauconite blocks in Rohtas district....