78 companies surrendered sand mining lease citing massive losses
Rs 5,000 transferred to 96 recipients of “Bihari Khanan Yoddha Purashkar”
Patna: Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Wednesday said that mines and geology department has raked in Rs 3592.60 crore in financial year 2025-26 which is Rs 56.39 crore more than what it achieved in 2024-25.
Sinha, who also holds Mines and Geology portfolio, exuded confidence that department will achieve its revenue collection target of Rs 3800 crore set for 2025-26 fiscal.
“The department has collected Rs 3592.60 crore in the financial year 2025-26 against Rs 3536.21 crore collected in the financial year 2024-25. It collected Rs 56.39 crore more revenue in 2025-26,” Sinha said while asserting that the department achieved more than the previous fiscal (2024-25) despite the fact that 78 sand ghats were surrendered that caused loss of Rs 600 crore in revenue collection.
“The department had received Rs 511 crore in 2024-25 from various work departments but it could get Rs 369 crore from work departments in the last fiscal i.e. 2025-26, thus causing a loss of almost Rs 150 crore in revenue collection,” Sinha said and added that the department could not get Rs 309 crore from various agencies and departments due to technical reasons at the end of closing hours on March 31, 2026.
The mines department expects to get Rs 32 crore from Railways, Rs 70 crore from RWD, Rs 20 crore from CPWD, Rs 6.5 crore from Patna Metro, Dy CM said while exuding confidence that department would cross its revenue collection target of Rs 3800 crore once these money are transferred to the department, which he expects to receive this month (April).
Sinha asserted that 21 districts have achieved more than their revenue target in 2025-26 and patted the officials of these districts and his department for achieving revenue target.
Sinha- who was accompanied by Mines Director Manesh Kumar Meena, Additional Secretary Bharat Bhushan Prasad and others- was addressing a press conference held at Soochna Bhawan’s conference hall to highlight his department’s achievements of one year.
Giving details of how the department’s revenue collection increased significantly from a paltry collection of Rs 41 crore in 2001-02, Sinha said that revenue collection increased to Rs 263 crore in first five years of NDA regime in 2009-10. It further rose to Rs 1700 crore in 2021-22 and got doubled to Rs 3536 crore in 2024-25.
COMPANIES SURRENDERING SAND MINING LEASE NOT TO BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN FRESH TENDER
Giving stern warning that to those who surrendered 78 ghats in the state, Dy CM unequivocally asserted that the companies, which surrendered sand mining leases, will not be allowed to participate in the fresh tender for allotment of sand mining lease in the state.
They (those who surrendered ghats) will not be allowed to participate in the auction even if they try to participate in the tender with other names or by changing the names of the company or director or partners, he said while adding that the department has issued fresh tenders for auction of 12 sand ghats.
The companies have surrendered their sand mining leases for 78 sand ghats to the department citing massive losses, Sinha said adding that the strict vigil and check on overloading and illegal mining forced them to surrender these ghats.
STONE MINING LEASE FOR 30 BLOCKS
With a view to increasing revenue collection further, mines department has identified stone mining lease for 30 blocks, Sinha said and added that it is currently under process at high level.
Stating that it would soon translate on to the ground, the Dy CM said that the move will not only reduce the dependence on import of stones from other states but would also increase state’s revenue besides generating employment opportunities for the people of the state.
AUCTION OF MINING BLOCK
Dy CM asserted that Bihar is now making its mark in the field of major mining on national level.
Out of 14 major mining blocks which were available for auction following a GSI’s report of Union Mines Ministry, the auction for three blocks have successfully been carried out by Union Mines Ministry, he said.
The advertisement for carrying out auction of three mining blocks in Rohtas district namely- Nawadih Glauconite block, Tipa Glauconite block and Shahpur-Akbarpur Glauconite block and one mining block of Sapneri Vanadium Magnetite in Gaya district has been published and the last date for making bids has been fixed on May 20, 2026.
BIHARI YODDHA PURASHKAR TO 96 PEOPLE
Dy CM has transferred Rs 4.90 lakh to 96 recipients of “Bihari Khanan Yoddha Purashkar”. He said that the money has been transferred directly into the bank accounts of 96 informants as part of the department’s initiative “Bihari Khanan Yoddha Purashkar” launched to check illegal mining and overloading. Those providing information on illegal mining, transportation and overloading by tractor will receive Rs 5,000 while those giving information about illegal movement by truck will be rewarded with Rs 10,000.
Notably, the minister had on March 12 (2026) transferred Bihari Khanan Yoddha Purashkar money to 72 people while he transferred the amount to another lot of 24 awardees on March 25 (2026).
RAIDS, FIR, ARREST
Following the department’s strict vigil and action, it has conducted 50,302 raids and lodged more than 2727 FIRs and arrested more than 700 people, apart from seizing 6214 vehicles and realising Rs 82.06 crore from them in the financial year of 2025-26, Dy CM said.
