UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India’s Critical Mineral Mission Gains Momentum: 56 Critical Mineral Blocks and 11 Exploration Licence Blocks Successfully Auctioned
Q1. Which one of the following is the nodal Ministry responsible for implementing the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) approved in 2025?
- A. Ministry of Mines
- B. Ministry of Coal
- C. Ministry of Heavy Industries
- D. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Q2. As of June 2026, how many critical and strategic mineral blocks has the Central Government successfully auctioned across all tranches under the National Critical Mineral Mission framework?
Q3. Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 as amended in 2023, the centralised auction of the 24 critical and strategic minerals placed in Part D of Schedule-I is conducted exclusively by which one of the following?
- A. Ministry of Mines
- B. Ministry of Coal
- C. Ministry of Earth Sciences
- D. Geological Survey of India
Q4. Which one of the following is the nodal Union ministry that identified India's list of critical minerals and conducts the centralised auction of critical mineral blocks under the MMDR Act, 1957?
- A. Ministry of Mines
- B. Ministry of Coal
- C. Ministry of Steel
- D. Ministry of Earth Sciences
Q5. How many minerals are included in India's official list of critical minerals released by the Ministry of Mines in 2023?
Q6. Which one of the following constituted the expert committee that prepared India's first report identifying 30 critical minerals (2023)?
- A. Ministry of Mines
- B. Ministry of Coal
- C. NITI Aayog
- D. Ministry of Heavy Industries
Q7. In the context of India's critical minerals policy, what is the principal mandate envisaged for the proposed Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals (CECM)?
- A. To periodically update the list of critical minerals (preferably every three years) and notify the critical mineral strategy from time to time
- B. To conduct centralised auctions of critical mineral blocks reserved for the Central Government
- C. To acquire critical mineral assets abroad through equity stakes in foreign mines
- D. To fix and revise royalty rates payable for critical and strategic minerals
Q8. Which one of the following is the first-ever Government company of India to secure an overseas lithium exploration and mining project (the lithium brine blocks in Catamarca, Argentina)?
- A. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL)
- B. Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL)
- C. National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO)
- D. Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL)
Q9. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), set up exclusively to source critical and strategic minerals from abroad, functions solely under the administrative aegis of which one of the following Union Ministries?
- A. Ministry of Mines
- B. Ministry of Coal
- C. Ministry of Heavy Industries
- D. Ministry of Earth Sciences
Q10. The Geological Survey of India established an inferred (G3) resource of lithium ore in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district, Jammu & Kashmir. What is the size of this inferred resource?
- A. 5.9 million tonnes
- B. 1.6 million tonnes
- C. 14.9 million tonnes
- D. 9.0 million tonnes
Q11. In the GSI's reporting of the Reasi lithium find, the deposit was classified as a 'G3' resource. In the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) exploration stages used by GSI, what does the G3 stage precisely denote?
- A. Preliminary exploration yielding an 'inferred' mineral resource
- B. Detailed exploration yielding a fully 'measured' mineral reserve ready for mining
- C. Reconnaissance survey yielding only a 'reconnaissance' mineral resource
- D. General exploration yielding an 'indicated' mineral resource
Q12. India joined the US-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) in June 2023 as which number member of the grouping?
- A. 11th member
- B. 13th member
- C. 14th member
- D. 17th member