Jammu, November 24, 2025: Jammu and Kashmir government has announced its first-ever auction of limestone mineral blocks, marking a transformative step in the region’s mineral resource management and revenue strategy. The auction launch event took place in Jammu with the active involvement of Union Minister for Coal and Mines, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, along with Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary.

This landmark auction features seven limestone blocks spread across approximately 314 hectares located in the districts of Anantnag, Rajouri, and Poonch. These blocks have undergone the necessary geological surveys and fall under exploration stages G3 and G4, indicating good quality limestone deposits suitable for cement, construction, and related industrial uses.

The auction is being conducted under subsections (4) and (5) of Section 11 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 2015 (MMDR Act), which allows the Central Government to facilitate auction processes when the Union Territory administration faces procedural constraints. The auction process follows a transparent, technology-enabled, and competitive e-auction route aligned with national environmental safeguards for sustainable mining.

This initiative is expected to boost job creation, enhance regional revenues, expand industrial development, and generate new economic opportunities for the local communities. It also symbolizes a significant step forward in Jammu and Kashmir’s development aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.