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REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY
PART II—Section 3—Sub-section (i)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 425] NEW DELHI, MONDAY, JULY 14, 2025/ASHADHA 23, 1947
CG-DL-E-16072025-264709
MINISTRY OF MINES
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 14th July, 2025
G.S.R. 468(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) and clause (c) of sub-section (2) of
section 35 of the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002 (17 of 2003), the Central
Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:—
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title and commencement.— (1) These rules may be called the Offshore Areas Atomic Minerals
Operating Right Rules, 2025.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions.— (1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “Act” means the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002 (17 of 2003);
(b) “Beach Sand Minerals” shall have the same meaning as assigned in serial number 6 of Part B of the
First Schedule of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (67 of 1957);
(c) “Board” means the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board constituted under section 27 of the Atomic
Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962);
(d) “Department” means the Department of Atomic Energy in the Central Government;
(e) “Directorate” means the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research under the
Department;
(f) “Form” means form appended to these rules;
(g) “illegal mining” means any reconnaissance operation or exploration operation or production operation
undertaken by any person or a company in any offshore area without holding an operating right as
required under sub-section (1) of section 5 of the Act or such operation is outside the boundaries of the
offshore area for which the operating right has been granted:
Provided that violation of any rules, other than the rules made under clause (pa) of sub-section (2) of
section 35 of the Act, within the licence area or lease area by a licensee or lessee shall not be construed
as illegal mining;
(h) “lease area” means the area for which a production lease has been granted in accordance with the
provisions of the Act and the rules made thereunder;
(i) “licence area” means the area for which a composite licence has been granted in accordance with the
provisions of the Act and the rules made thereunder;
(j) “prescribed substances” means minerals included in the list of prescribed substances under the Atomic
Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962);
(k) “run-of-mine” means the raw unprocessed or uncrushed material in its natural state obtained after
dredging or mining, from mineralised zone of a lease area;
(l) “Schedule” means the Schedule to these rules; and
(m) “threshold value in respect of atomic minerals” means the grade of atomic mineral, specified as
percentage of weight of the prescribed substances contained in the ore, as specified and notified in
Schedule A of the Atomic Minerals Concession Rules, 2016, as the threshold value for the particular
atomic mineral occurring as such, or in association with one or more minerals.
(2) Words and expressions used in these rules but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as
assigned to them in the Act, the rules made thereunder or the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962), as
the case may be.
(3) Application.— (1)These rules shall apply only to operating rights relating to atomic minerals occurring as
such or in association with one or more other minerals, provided the grade of such atomic minerals is equal to
or greater than the threshold value in respect of atomic minerals.
(2) Operating rights relating to atomic minerals where the grade of atomic mineral contained in the ore is
less than the threshold value in respect of atomic minerals shall be governed, mutatis mutandis, by the
provisions of the Offshore Areas Operating Right Rules, 2024, in force.
(3) A determination regarding applicability of these rules pursuant to assessment of threshold value in
respect of atomic minerals against the existence of mineral resources shall be made by the Directorate
in accordance with the provisions of sub-rule (5) of rule 4 or sub-rule (6) of rule 6 or sub-rule (6) of
rule 7, as the case may be.
(4) If one or more atomic minerals occur in association with other minerals but the grade of atomic
minerals is less than the threshold value in respect of atomic minerals, then any atomic minerals
resulting from production operations, processing or beneficiation shall be handled and disposed of in
accordance with directives issued by the Department regarding conservation of atomic minerals and the
directives issued by the Board regarding radiological safety.
CHAPTER II
RECONNAISSANCE OPERATION OR EXPLORATION OPERATION FOR ATOMIC MINERALS
4. Reconnaissance operation or exploration operation for atomic minerals under proviso to sub-section
(1) of section 5 of the Act.— (1) The agencies, permitted under the proviso to sub-section (1) of section 5 of
the Act may carry out reconnaissance operation or exploration operation for atomic minerals without an
operating right and such operations shall be carried out in compliance with the Schedule A:
Provided that where reconnaissance operation or exploration operation is to be undertaken under
this sub-rule, the agencies desirous of undertaking such operations shall submit a request to the administering
authority along with particulars of the area and the period required for reconnaissance operation or
exploration operation.
(2) The administering authority, with prior consultation with the Department shall, within a period of thirty days
of receipt of the request, issue a notification in the Official Gazette.
(3) Upon issuance of the notification, the administering authority shall not grant any operating right to any other
person or agency for an area or a part thereof in relation to which a notification has been issued.
(4) Upon completion of reconnaissance operation or exploration operation under sub-rule (1), the agency
conducting such operations shall submit a geological report of its findings to the Department, Directorate and
the administering authority in the format specified in the Schedule A.
(5) Upon receipt of a geological report under sub-rule (4), the Directorate shall compare the grade of atomic
minerals in the area where the reconnaissance operation or exploration operation has been undertaken with
the threshold value in respect of atomic minerals and, if —
(a) the grade of atomic minerals is less than the threshold value in respect of atomic minerals,
the Directorate shall provide a written intimation, along with a copy of the geological
report, to the Central Government, which may grant operating right over such area as per
section 8, section 12 or section 13 of the Act, as the case may be, and the rules made
thereunder:
Provided that atomic minerals extracted during the exploration operations or
production operations shall be handled and disposed of in accordance with the directives
issued by the Department regarding conservation of atomic minerals and the directives
issued by the Board regarding radiological safety;
(b) the grade of atomic minerals is equal to or greater than the threshold value in respect of
atomic minerals and, —
(i) at least General Exploration (G2) has been completed to establish Indicated
Mineral Resource (332), then a production lease shall be granted by the
administering authority only in accordance with these rules; or
(ii) at least Reconnaissance Survey (G4) has been completed to estimate
Reconnaissance Mineral Resource (334) or mineral potentiality of the mineral
block has been identified based on the available geoscience data but resources are
yet to be established, then a composite licence shall be granted by the
administering authority only in accordance with these rules.
(6) The Directorate shall subject the geological reports, for reconnaissance operation or exploration
operation generated by the Directorate, to a similar scrutiny as specified in sub-rule (5) and hand over
the data to the administering authority for action contemplated under clauses (a) and (b) of sub-rule
(5).
(7) If the Directorate finds the geological report submitted under sub-rule (4) to be insufficient for
making a determination under sub-rule (5), it may seek additional information or direct further
reconnaissance operation or exploration operation and submission of findings with regard to such
additional data as may be specified by the Directorate and upon receipt of such findings and data, the
Directorate shall take action as specified in sub-rule (5).
(8) The administering authority may revoke the notification granted under sub-rule (2), if the Directorate
communicates in writing that the reconnaissance operation or exploration operation has been
completed.
CHAPTER III
DISCOVERY AND GRANT OF OPERATING RIGHTS
5. Grant of operating right at the instance of Department.— Where on an examination of a geological
report prepared in conformity with the parameters specified in the Schedule A by the Directorate, in
accordance with the provisions of sub-rule (5) of rule 4, indicates the grade of atomic minerals to be equal to
or greater than the threshold value in respect of atomic minerals, the administering authority shall —
(a) identify and demarcate the area where a composite licence or production lease, as the case
may be, is proposed to be granted;
(b) submit a proposal for grant of composite licence or production lease over the area
identified and demarcated under clause (a) with the precise areas along with longitude and
latitude, to the Department and the Central Government with a request to nominate the
Government, a Government company, or a corporation for the grant of such production
lease or composite licence.
6. Procedure for grant of composite licence.— (1) In response to the request made by the administering
authority under clause (b) of rule 5, the Department in consultation with the Central Government shall
intimate to the Directorate and administering authority in writing of the prospective licensee, along with a
confirmation regarding grade of atomic minerals in such area being equal to or greater than the threshold
value in respect of atomic minerals.
(2) On receipt of intimation under sub-rule (1), the Central Government, after consultation with the
administering authority, may by notification in the Official Gazette, reserve such area in accordance
with sub-section (1) of section 8 of the Act.
(3) The Central Government shall consult the Department; Ministry of Defence; Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of External Affairs;
Department of Space; Department of Telecommunications; Department of Fisheries under the
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Ministry of Earth Sciences; Ministry of
Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; Ministry of Science and
Technology; Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and any other Ministry or department as may
be considered necessary, by the Central Government, before notifying any offshore area under sub
rule (2).
(4) The intimation referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be considered to be evidence of the existence of
mineral resources for atomic minerals in the area for the purposes of second proviso to clause (b) of
section 6 of the Act.
(5) Upon notification of such area by the Central Government under sub-rule (2), a copy of intimation
referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be sent by the administering authority to the prospective licensee.
(