Chandigarh: Following sustained efforts by Punjab Mines and Geology Minister Barinder Goyal to seek comprehensive exploration of evaporite basin areas in the state, the Project Sanctioning Committee of the National Mineral Exploration & Development Trust (NMET), Ministry of Mines, Government of India, has approved a new potash exploration project in Punjab.
The project, titled “Reconnaissance Survey (G-4) for Potash in Choharianwali Area, District Fazilka, Punjab,” was cleared during the committee’s meeting held on February 9, 2026.
Sharing details, Barinder Goyal said the exploration will be undertaken by Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited over an area of 48 square kilometres. The project has been approved with a financial outlay of ₹1,903.11 lakh and will be completed within a period of 21 months.
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According to the approved plan, the project will be reviewed after nine months. Phase I will include drilling of six boreholes with a total drilling length of 5,700 metres at a grid spacing of 3,200 metres. Based on the review findings, Phase II will involve drilling of nine additional boreholes covering 8,550 metres at a reduced grid interval of 1,600 metres in zones identified as having higher potential.
The minister noted that the issue of potash exploration in Punjab was strongly raised during the three-day Rashtriya Khanij Chintan Shivir–2026 held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in January this year. He had highlighted the identification of promising potash-bearing zones in Fazilka district and called for faster progress in drilling and geological mapping during the Field Season 2025–26.
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Barinder Goyal said the Punjab Government has consistently urged central agencies to prioritise potash exploration in the state, underlining its importance for national food security and farmer welfare. He stressed the need for timely and systematic action to build a credible mineral inventory, particularly in the evaporite basin regions of Punjab.
Following the state’s request to expand exploration coverage, the Geological Survey of India has also proposed reconnaissance surveys for potash in the Kera Khera and Saiyadwala blocks of Fazilka district during the Field Season 2026–27, along with preliminary exploration in the Kandhwala Ramsra block. The proposed programme includes drilling at 15 identified locations.
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The minister further urged that all proposed exploration activities be completed within the stipulated Field Season 2026–27 timeframe to strengthen Punjab’s potash resource base.
Highlighting the strategic importance of potash, Goyal said India currently imports nearly 99 per cent of its potash requirement, and any progress in domestic exploration and mining would significantly benefit the national economy, agriculture sector and long-term self-reliance goals.