Lucknow, June 29: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the role of the mining sector is very important in the target of one trillion dollar economy of Uttar Pradesh. This sector is no longer just a source of mineral production, but has become an influential center of economic progress, investment promotion and local employment generation of the state.
In an intensive review meeting of the Department of Geology and Mining held on Sunday, he said that the mining policy of Uttar Pradesh has now become a confluence of transparency and technical efficiency.
Being informed about the updated progress of the departmental works, the Chief Minister said that an average annual growth of 18.14 percent has been registered in mineral revenue from the financial year 2021-22 to 2024-25. In the year 2024-25, a revenue of Rs 608.11 crore was received from major minerals, while in the year 2025-26, a revenue of Rs 623 crore has been received till May only, which shows the consistent progress of this sector and the efficiency of the department.
The Chief Minister was apprised that in recent years, leases of major minerals like phosphorite, iron ore and gold have been successfully auctioned. He directed that the composite license process should be further expedited and advance identification of potential mining areas and timely preparation of geological reports should be ensured.
Chief Minister also underlined that due to clear, transparent and encouraging policies, leading companies like JSW, Adani Group, Tata Steel, UltraTech Cement are showing keen interest in investing in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister directed that the remaining reforms be completed within the stipulated time frame to ensure ‘Category-A’ status in SMRI.
To ensure effective prevention of illegal mining, transportation and storage activities, the Chief Minister directed to establish a strong monitoring mechanism in coordination with transporters. He clarified that mining will not be allowed anywhere in the catchment area of โโthe river and if such activities are found, the responsible officers will be held accountable.
Departmental officials informed that so far 57 technology-enabled checkgates have been installed, 21,477 vehicles have been blacklisted, while systems like Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), colour coding, white tagging are working effectively. The Chief Minister directed that only standard GPS equipped vehicles should be authorised for mineral transportation and they should be tracked in real time with the VTS module.
With the help of drone survey and PGRS laboratory, 99 potential mining areas have been identified from 2024 till now, out of which 23 have been found suitable for mining. Sand/Morung reserves have also been assessed in 52 areas after monsoon. Appreciating these efforts, the Chief Minister directed that the process of monitoring the operational leases and actual assessment of mining through volumetric analysis should be further accelerated.
It was also told in the meeting that a revenue of Rs 258.61 crore has been earned in the year 2024-25 and Rs 70.80 crore so far in 2025-26 as regulation fee from brick kilns. The Chief Minister directed that this sector should also be made technology-enabled and connected with innovations by communicating with all brick kiln operators.
The Chief Minister also directed that the process of new leases of sub-minerals should be completed during the monsoon season, so that mining work can start from October 15. Along with this, emphasizing the proper use of the District Mining Fund (DMF), he said that it should be used on priority in public welfare works like establishment of Anganwadi centers, development of playgrounds, health, skill training and water-energy conservation.