समाचार में क्यों
- The Ministry of Mines held a stakeholder outreach program for auctioning two offshore polymetallic mineral blocks in the Andaman Sea under a Composite Licence framework.
मुख्य शब्द
Polymetallic Nodules
Seabed mineral deposits composed primarily of manganese, iron, nickel, copper, and cobalt.
Composite Licence
A unified permit granting rights for preliminary exploration followed by commercial mining upon discovery.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Sea zone stretching up to 200 nautical miles from baseline where a coastal nation holds sovereign resource rights.
Offshore Areas Mineral Act, 2002
Central statute regulating mining rights and exploration in India's territorial waters and continental shelf.
What is the Offshore Mineral Regulatory Framework?
- Governed by the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002, amended in 2023 to introduce competitive auctioning and Composite Licences.
- Grants exclusive rights for combined exploration and production in maritime zones within India's Exclusive Economic Zone.
Details of the Offshore Mineral Auction
- Offers two deep-sea blocks—Sewell Rise-01 (632 sq km) and West Sewell Ridge-01 (1,000 sq km)—totaling 1,632 sq km in the Andaman Sea.
- Targets seabed deposits of polymetallic nodules and crusts containing critical elements like copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
- Integrates offshore extraction with downstream processing at a proposed Critical Mineral Processing Park on India's eastern coast.
Why it matters
- Enhances India's critical mineral security for green energy transition and high-tech manufacturing without reliance on foreign imports.
प्रीलिम्स तथ्य
- Polymetallic nodule blocks in the Andaman Sea are awarded via Composite Licences under OAMDR Act amendments.
मेंस चर्चा
- Strategic and economic significance of deep-sea mining for critical mineral self-reliance.
स्रोत: PIB English
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