New Delhi, June 24 -- The Ministry of Mines has auctioned 56 critical and strategic mineral blocks, and 11 exploration licence (EL) blocks.

This marks further progress in the government's efforts to strengthen domestic mineral supply chains and expand mineral exploration.

The latest round of auctions saw 10 critical and strategic mineral blocks awarded under the seventh tranche of auctions conducted by the Centre. With this, 56 out of 88 unique mineral blocks offered so far have been successfully auctioned, translating into a success rate of over 63 per cent.

The seventh tranche included blocks containing graphite, rare earth elements (REE), vanadium, titanium, glauconite and rock phosphate. It also marked the first auction of critical...