Jaipur, Sept. 23 -- Rajasthan is preparing to bring major mineral blocks into operation under the pre-embedded model, marking a big step toward self-reliance in the mining sector, officials said on Monday. Principal secretary, mines and petroleum, T Ravikant said the department of mines and geology has initiated the process for the auction of pre-embedded mineral blocks. With this, he added, Rajasthan is likely to become the first state in the country to auction such blocks, while other states are still in the preparation stage. He said the department has already obtained required permissions for selected blocks to move ahead with the auction. Normally, it takes 2.5 to 3 years after an auction for mines to become operational due to delays in securing multiple approvals, which affects investment, employment, and revenue. The Centre and state governments are keen to overcome this challenge, said Ravikant. He added that the Union Ministry of Mines has amended the MMDR Act, directing all states to prepare at least five blocks with all necessary clearances in advance for auction. These "pre-embedded" auctions will allow mines to become operational quickly. Rajasthan has designated the Rajasthan State Mineral Exploration Trust (RSMET) as the Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) to complete these clearances, he said. Pre-embedded means that all statutory approvals are obtained before auctioning a mineral block. This reduces the time needed to start mining after auction, ensures faster operations, higher revenue, early investment, and more employment opportunities. Ravikant said, normally, after the auction of mineral blocks, the preferred bidder has to secure multiple approvals before starting mining operations. These include mining plan approval from IBM, forest clearance, environmental permissions such as ToR, EIA and public hearings, clearances from SEAC/SEIAA, consents from the Pollution Control Board (CTO and CTE), and Revenue Department approval in case of pasture land, along with several other legal and administrative formalities. He said that geological reports, demarcation, and DGPS surveys of the identified blocks have already been completed by RSMET, with other formalities underway....