In March 2025, IndiaAI, an Independent Business Division (IBD) under New Delhi (Delhi) based Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Mines (MoM), launched the ‘IndiaAI Hackathon 2025’ themed “Mineral Targeting using Artificial Intelligence.”
- The initiative aims to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to enhance mineral discovery and geological analysis in India.
- As part of the launch, MoM and Goa government launched India’s first-ever Exploration Licence (EL) auction in Goa and also featured a Roadshow for the fifth tranche of critical mineral block auctions.
About AI Hackathon 2025:
i.The Hackathon aims to enable the identification of new potential areas for exploration of critical minerals like Rare Earth Elements (REEs), Nickel-Platinum Group Element deposits(Ni-PGE), and copper(Cu), as well as other commodities like diamond, iron(Fe), manganese(Mn), and gold(Au) within a pre-defined 39,000 square kilometer(sq. km) area in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh(AP).
ii.It focuses on identifying hidden, deep mineral bodies using depth modeling and developing AI/ML algorithms for data cleaning, integration, modeling, and validation.
ii.Participants will analyze multi-parametric geoscience datasets to generate mineral predictive maps.
iii.Prize Money:
- First Prize: Rs. 10 lakh
- Second Prize: Rs. 7 lakh
- Third Prize: Rs. 5 lakh
- Special Prize: Rs. 5 lakh for all-women teams (if no women team secures a top 3 position).
CIL & NFTDC Signs MoU to Critical Minerals Technology :
On March 18, 2025, Kolkata (West Bengal, WB) based Coal India Limited (CIL), a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Coal (MoC) signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyderabad (Telangana) based Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC), an autonomous Research and Development (R&D) institution under MoM.
- The collaboration aims to enhance technology development and expertise in the critical minerals sector.
- It aligns with CIL’s strategy to expand its technology beyond coal mining and diversify into critical minerals essential for Renewable Energy(RE), electric vehicles, and advanced manufacturing.
About Geological Survey of India (GSI):
Director General(DG) -Asit Saha
Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal(WB)
Founded – 1851
