Lok Sabha Question No. 3145 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Minerals in Coastal Beaches
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Balashowry Vallabhaneni

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO -3145

ANSWERED ON 11/03/2026

## MINERALS IN COASTAL BEACHES

## 3145. SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state :-

- a) whether Atomic Energy Directorate has established minerals in coastal beaches, red sands, etc., in Andhra Pradesh and few other States;
- b) if so, the details of minerals and quantum of minerals found in the said States;
- c) the manner in which the announcement made by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget that rare earth corridors would be for mining, processing and manufacture of rare earths help the country to extract them; and
- d) the timelines required to extract rare earth minerals from coastal beaches along with the status of rare earth exploration in the country as of now?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) Yes, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has  established resources of Beach Sand Minerals (BSM) in the red (teri) and coastal beach sands in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
- (b) The total resources of economic heavy minerals including BSM and inland placers in the country as on December, 2025 are 1,309.42 million tonne (Mt) (Rounded off to 1,309Mt). The  State-wise  details  of  Total  Heavy  Mineral  (THM)  Resource  (million  tonnes)  as  on December, 2025 is as under :
- (c) The Union Budget 2026 made an announcement to support mineral-rich coastal states of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to establish dedicated Rare Earth corridors to promote mining, processing, research and manufacturing. These Rare Earth Corridors are intended for developing a resilient and globally competitive rare earths ecosystem in India by enhancing production of the NdPr and Samarium oxides and fostering the domestic demand for production of RE magnets and at the same time facilitating establishment of industries in the  value  chain  of  Titanium  and  Zirconium  etc.  These  dedicated  RE  corridors  envisage positioning  India  as  a  national  hub  for  Rare  Earths,  titanium  and  critical  minerals  value addition -serving both industrial growth and national strategic requirements.
- (d) Monazite is the known Rare Earth bearing mineral found in India. It is found in association with six other beach sand heavy minerals. On account of the radioactive source, extraction of Monazite from coastal beaches is long, complex and expensive. Mining of monazite is carried out as per the mining plan approved by AMD which in turn depends upon the limits prescribed by various statutory bodies. Factors such as dense inhabitation in coastal stretches, timeline of  regulatory  compliances  and  sustainability  leads  an  involved  process  of  monazite  from coastal beaches. The tentative timeline required for extraction of rare earth minerals from a particular deposit in coastal beaches can extended to 4-5 years from the date of nomination of Prospective lessee to obtaining of statutory clearances, execution of mining lease deed and finally operationalization of the deposit. AMD is presently carrying out exploration to identify additional resources of monazite (a mineral of REE and thorium) in the beach sand deposits along coastal tracts in parts of Dr. Ambedkar Konaseema district in Andhra Pradesh; Puri district  in  Odisha  and  Thoothukudi  district  in  Tamil  Nadu.  Additionally,  AMD  is  also carrying out exploration to augment REE resources in hard rock terrains in parts of Jodhpur, Balotra and Udaipur districts in Rajasthan; Chhota Udepur district in Gujarat; Salem district in Tamil Nadu; and Warangal and Suryapet districts in Telangana.

| State          |    |   DepositsIlmeniteRutileLeucoxeneMonaziteZirconGarnetSillimanite |       |      |      |       |       |       |    THM |
|----------------|----|------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|------|------|-------|-------|-------|--------|
| Odisha         | 13 |                                                           172.25 |  7.19 | 0.94 | 3.22 |  6    | 71.6  | 90.17 | 351.36 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 25 |                                                           178.75 | 11.46 | 3.64 | 4.05 | 12.75 | 67.3  | 81.85 | 359.79 |
| Tamil Nadu     | 54 |                                                           191.29 |  8.35 | 6.56 | 2.55 | 10.75 | 71.15 | 39.99 | 330.64 |

| Kerala      |   35 |   144.02 |   8.74 | 8.23   |   1.84 |   7.96 | 7.38   |   64.72 | 242.88   |
|-------------|------|----------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|---------|----------|
| Maharashtra |    5 |     5.5  |   0.01 | 0.06   |  0.004 |   0.03 | 0.02   |    0.01 | 5.64     |
| Gujarat     |    2 |    11.64 |   0.03 | 0.33   |  0.07  |   0.06 | 0.38   |    0.04 | 12.53    |
| West Bengal |    1 |     2.05 |   0.19 | -      |  1.2   |   0.38 | -      |    1.63 | 5.45     |
| Jharkhand   |    1 |     0.73 |   0.01 | -      |  0.21  |   0.08 | -      |    0.08 | 1.12     |
| Total       |  136 |   706.24 |  35.98 | 19.75  | 13.15  |  38    | 217.83 |  278.48 | 1,309.42 |

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