PARLIAMENT QUESTION: MINERALS IN COASTAL BEACHES

Department of Atomic Energy

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: MINERALS IN COASTAL BEACHES

Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 4:52PM by PIB Delhi Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has established resources of Beach Sand Minerals (BSM) in the red (teri) and coastal beach sands in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

The total resources of economic heavy minerals including BSM and inland placers in the country as on December, 2025 are 1,309.42 million tonne (Mt) (Rounded off to 1,309Mt). The State-wise details of Total Heavy Mineral (THM) Resource (million tonnes) as on December, 2025 is as under:

State Deposits Ilmenite Rutile Leucoxene Monazite Zircon Garnet Sillimanite T Odisha 13 172.25 7.19 0.94 3.22 6.00 71.60 90.17 35 Andhra 25 178.75 11.46 3.64 4.05 12.75 67.30 81.85 35 Pradesh Tamil 54 191.29 8.35 6.56 2.55 10.75 71.15 39.99 33 Nadu Kerala 35 144.02 8.74 8.23 1.84 7.96 7.38 64.72 242.88 Maharashtra 5 5.50 0.01 0.06 0.004 0.03 0.02 0.01 5.64 Gujarat 2 11.64 0.03 0.33 0.07 0.06 0.38 0.04 12.53 West Bengal 1 2.05 0.19 - 1.20 0.38 - 1.63 5.45 Jharkhand 1 0.73 0.01 - 0.21 0.08 - 0.08 1.12 Total 136 706.24 35.98 19.75 13.15 38.00 217.83 278.48 1,309.42The Union Budget 2026 made an announcement to support mineral-rich coastal states of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to establish dedicated Rare Earth corridors to promote mining, processing, research and manufacturing. These Rare Earth Corridors are intended for developing a resilient and globally competitive rare earths ecosystem in India by enhancing production of the NdPr and Samarium oxides and fostering the domestic demand for production of RE magnets and at the same time facilitating establishment of industries in the value chain of Titanium and Zirconium etc. These dedicated RE corridors envisage positioning India as a national hub for Rare Earths, titanium and critical minerals value addition—serving both industrial growth and national strategic requirements.

Monazite is the known Rare Earth bearing mineral found in India. It is found in association with six other beach sand heavy minerals. On account of the radioactive source, extraction of Monazite from coastal beaches is long, complex and expensive. Mining of monazite is carried out as per the mining plan approved by AMD which in turn depends upon the limits prescribed by various statutory bodies.

Factors such as dense inhabitation in coastal stretches, timeline of regulatory compliances and sustainability leads an involved process of monazite from coastal beaches. The tentative timeline required for extraction of rare earth minerals from a particular deposit in coastal beaches can extended to 4-5 years from the date of nomination of Prospective lessee to obtaining of statutory clearances, execution of mining lease deed and finally operationalization of the deposit. AMD is presently carrying out exploration to identify additional resources of monazite (a mineral of REE and thorium) in the beach sand deposits along coastal tracts in parts of Dr. Ambedkar Konaseema district in Andhra Pradesh; Puri district in Odisha and Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, AMD is also carrying out exploration to augment REE resources in hard rock terrains in parts of Jodhpur, Balotra and Udaipur districts in Rajasthan; Chhota Udepur district in Gujarat; Salem district in Tamil Nadu;

and Warangal and Suryapet districts in Telangana.

This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

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