Government Rejects Claims Of Private Sector Role In Offshore Uranium, Thorium Mining

The Ministry of Mines has dismissed media reports claiming that private players have been allowed into offshore uranium and thorium mining, calling them "misleading and factually incorrect."

The clarification comes after the Offshore Areas Atomic Minerals Operating Rights Rules, 2025 were notified on 14 July.

The rules, the ministry said, only permit the Government, Government companies or corporations to obtain operating rights for atomic minerals. No provision exists for private sector participation.

"The Offshore Areas Atomic Minerals Operating Rights Rules, 2025 provide the procedure for the grant of operating rights for atomic mineral only to the Government, Government companies, or corporations and not to private entities," the ministry said.

The ministry cited the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Act, 2023, effective 17 August 2023, which amended the 2002 Act.

"The First proviso to Section 6 of the OAMDR Act, 2002 explicitly restricts the grant of exploration licences, composite licences, or production leases for atomic minerals (specified in Part B of the First Schedule to the MMDR Act, 1957) to the Government, Government companies, or corporations only, subject to prescribed conditions and threshold values notified by the Central Government," the ministry said.

The 2025 rules were framed under Section 35 of the amended Act, in consultation with the Department of Atomic Energy, the nodal authority for atomic mineral regulation.

"The rules provide the procedure for the grant of operating rights for atomic mineral only to the Government, Government companies, or corporations. In light of the above, the media reports appear to be not consistent with the facts, provisions of the relevant Acts, Rules, and policy frameworks governing atomic minerals in India," the ministry said.

"The Ministry of Mines reaffirms its commitment to transparency, adherence to legislative mandates, and ensuring that the exploration and mining of atomic minerals remain under strict regulatory control in accordance with national security and policy considerations," the ministry said.

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