An important step toward bolstering India’s vital mineral resource security was taken on January 2 when OIL India Limited (OIL) signed the Deed of Agreement for the Composite Licence of the Phop Graphite and Vanadium Block situated in the Yazali circle of Keyi Panyor district, Arunachal Pradesh. Senior representatives from the Directorate of Geology and Mines (DGM), OIL, and CESHS, as well as AK Singh, Secretary (Geology and Mines), Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Raghunath Mishra, Chief General Manager of OIL, and Tana Tage, Director (CESHS), were present when the agreement was signed. As a local partner and stakeholder, CESHS will share a 10% partnership interest with OIL under the terms of the agreement.
In order to ensure that exploration operations are carried out smoothly, CESHS, a local stakeholder with a significant presence on the ground, will support the project through preliminary and exploratory survey activities and promote coordination with local people and pertinent authorities. It is anticipated that the combination of CESHS’s local knowledge and engagement skills with OIL’s technical competence and resource exploration experience will improve operational efficiency, guarantee successful stakeholder coordination, and encourage ethical and sustainable mineral development in the area. According to officials, the agreement’s signing represents a significant turning point in India’s vital minerals roadmap, supporting national initiatives for strategic mineral self-reliance and energy transformation while also advancing Arunachal Pradesh’s regional development.
