New Delhi, Jan 21 (NationPress) The Secretary of the Ministry of Mines, Piyush Goyal, announced on Wednesday that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) is set to enhance its exploration initiatives for critical and strategic minerals by undertaking approximately 300 projects during the period of 2026-27.

He instructed the GSI to finalize its current field season within a year, implementing a system of continuous rolling approvals for projects rather than annual approvals, allowing for comprehensive exploration of prospective areas.

During a meeting of the Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB), the Secretary emphasized the necessity of a coordinated strategy among all agencies to accelerate the exploration framework in India.

At this gathering, the Geological Survey of India presented its Annual Programme for the upcoming field season of 2026-27, which includes 1,068 scientific projects for discussion. Notably, these exploration-related projects represent approximately 55 percent of the total. GSI has also developed around 37 projects in the international border area, which features 16 mineral exploration projects across the Western, Eastern, Northern, and North-Eastern regions.

For the 2026–27 field season, there is a remarkable increase of approximately 46 percent in G3 stage exploration projects, indicating GSI’s strategic pivot towards outcome-driven, resource-rich exploration. Additionally, a strong emphasis has been placed on critical mineral exploration, with 236 projects established in this area, highlighting GSI’s committed and progressive approach to bolstering India’s critical mineral security, which is set to be further strengthened, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Mines.

Moreover, GSI has outlined 144 projects focusing on Natural Hazard Studies, Public Good Geoscience, and Fundamental Geoscience for the 2026–27 field season, addressing landslide and geotechnical studies, polar and glaciological research, climate change, and environmental research, alongside essential geoscientific inquiries. These efforts reaffirm GSI’s dedication to disaster risk mitigation, climate resilience, and scientific advancement.

Additionally, GSI has planned 58 Geoinformatics and Data Analysis projects for 2026-27, concentrating on the generation, integration, analysis, dissemination, and management of geospatial data. These initiatives underscore the use of cutting-edge AI/ML modeling, legacy data integration, and emerging technologies to boost exploration efficiency.

GSI has also proposed 160 training programs across various themes aimed at enhancing the Training and Capacity Building of GSI personnel and stakeholders from Central Institutions, State Governments, PSUs, private sector, and academia, reflecting its strong commitment to human resource development and institutional fortification.

In his opening remarks, Asit Saha, Director General of the Geological Survey of India, emphasized that the forthcoming Annual Programme places significant weight on utilizing advanced geoscientific technologies, digital platforms, and AI-driven tools to hasten mineral discovery, particularly of hidden and deep-seated deposits.

The Director General further stated that targeted exploration of critical and strategic minerals would significantly bolster the nation’s mineral security and support burgeoning sectors of the economy.

Sanjay Lohiya, Additional Secretary, Mines, highlighted the critical importance of expediting exploration activities within the country. He instructed GSI, NPEAs, and other exploration entities to ensure timely completion of projects. He mentioned that agencies engaged in exploration should reference the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) portal of the Ministry of Mines to prevent work duplication.

He urged State DGMs and all stakeholders to contribute their data to the NGDR. Furthermore, he indicated that the Ministry of Mines has established a policy for the recovery of critical and strategic minerals from ongoing exploration projects, existing mines, and dumps, overburdens, and tailings.

Lohiya called upon all stakeholders, including GSI, IBM, AMD, DAE, the Ministry of Coal, and State DGMs, to adopt and execute the policy within their specific domains.