**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer to Unstarred Question No. 2872 in Lok Sabha, addressed on December 17, 2025, regarding idle mines in India. It provides the number of non-working major mineral mines, reasons for idleness, and government actions to revive them. The response is provided by the Minister of Coal and Mines.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Number of Idle Mines:**
* There are 1400 non-working major mineral mines in the country.
* State/Union Territory-wise details are provided in Annexure-I.
* **Reasons for Idleness:**
* Mine under process of surrender
* Pending lapse order by the State Government
* Lack of availability of suitable grade mineral
* Uneconomic operations
* Non-compliance with statutory requirements
* Legal issues
* Challenges linked to land acquisition and local issues.
* **Government Plans to Revive Mines:**
* The Ministry of Mines has introduced reforms under the MMDR Act, 1957.
* Section 4A(4) provides that leases with no production for two years are liable to lapse.
* States are required to review and re-auction feasible blocks promptly.
* Under Section 8B, all valid rights and clearances transfer automatically to the new lessee.
* For mines that cannot be revived, effective mine closure by the lessee is provisioned through approved closure plans for alternative public purposes.
* Feasible non-working mines are auctioned, with States receiving auction premium in addition to royalty.
**Impact Analysis**
**States/Union Territories**
* **Impact:** States need to review and re-auction feasible blocks of mines that are liable to lapse due to no production.
* **Action Required:** Promptly re-auction feasible blocks to new lessees. Also, States will receive auction premium in addition to royalty for auctioned mines.
**Mine Lessees**
* **Impact:** Existing mine leases are liable to lapse if there is no production and dispatch for two consecutive years. Lessees may also need to implement mine closure plans if mines cannot be revived.
* **Action Required:** Review and promptly re-auction the feasible blocks.
**Ministry of Mines**
* **Impact:** Reforms under the MMDR Act, 1957 requires overseeing re-auction of mines.
* **Action Required:** Require a system to ensure valid rights and clearances transfer automatically to the new lessee.
Key Entities Referenced
MMDR Act, 1957: The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which regulates the mining sector in India and under which the Ministry of Mines has introduced reforms to revive non-working mines.
Ministry of Mines: The central government ministry responsible for the administration and regulation of mines in India, which has introduced several reforms under the MMDR Act to revive non-working mines.
Section 4A(4): A section of the MMDR Act, 1957 that addresses the issue of leases with no production and dispatch for two consecutive years, making them liable to lapse.
Section 8B: A section of the MMDR Act, 1957 that stipulates all valid rights and clearances transfer automatically to the new lessee.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No.2872
ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025
IDLE MINES IN THE COUNTRY
2872. SHRI DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA:
Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:
(a) the total number of mines in the country that are currently idle, State and Union
Territory-wise;
(b) the details of the primary reasons for these mines being idle including factors such
as regulatory delays, environment/forest clearances, leaseholder inaction, legal
disputes or any other administrative or technical reasons;
(c) whether the Government has a plan to revive these idle mines and if so, the details
thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(d) whether there is any mechanism for reclaiming or reassigning the leases of long-
idle mines to more capable operators or for alternative utilisation, such as conversion
into solar parks or other public-benefit purposes and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the estimated economic losses to the exchequer in terms of foregone revenues
and increased import dependence arising from the continued non-utilisation of such
idle mines?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES
(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)
(a) & (b) There are 1400 non-working major mineral mines in the country. The
State/ UT-wise details are provided in Annexure-I. The mines are currently non-
working mainly due to mine under process of surrender, pending lapse order by the
State Government, lack of availability of suitable grade mineral, uneconomic
operations, non-compliance with statutory requirements, legal issues, and challenges
linked to land acquisition and local issues.
(c) & (d) The Ministry of Mines has introduced several reforms under the MMDR
Act, 1957 to revive non-working mines. Section 4A(4) provides that leases with no
production and dispatch for two consecutive years are liable to lapse. The States are
required to review and promptly re-auction the feasible blocks. Under Section 8B, all
valid rights and clearances transfer automatically to the new lessee. For mines that
cannot be revived, there is a provision for effective mine closure by the lessee throughapproved closure plans that ensure proper restoration of the area which can be used
for alternative public-purposes.
(e) Feasible non-working mines are auctioned, whereby States receive auction
premium in addition to royalty.
*****Annexure: I
Sl. No. State/Union Territory No. of Non-working Mines*
1 Tamil Nadu 347
2 Andhra Pradesh 282
3 Gujarat 172
4 Madhya Pradesh 143
5 Karnataka 110
6 Odisha 81
7 Jharkhand 67
8 Telangana 40
9 Maharashtra 36
10 Rajasthan 25
11 Chhattisgarh 24
12 Jammu & Kashmir 24
13 Meghalaya 11
14 Himachal Pradesh 9
15 Goa 8
16 Bihar 6
17 Haryana 4
18 Kerala 4
19 Uttarakhand 4
20 Assam 1
21 Ladakh 1
22 West Bengal 1
Grand Total 1400
* List excludes non-working mines of the newly classified major minerals (Quartz,
Feldspar, Mica, and Barytes).