Dehradun, Nov. 20 -- Uttarakhand has again secured a major incentive from the Centre for its performance in the mining sector, with the Union Ministry of Mines awarding the state an additional Rs.100 crore under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment(SASCI) for 2025-26. This comes after the state received a similar Rs.100 crore incentive in October for achieving the second-highest rank in the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) rankings, taking the total reward to Rs.200 crore. Officials said the SMRI is an evaluative and ranking framework introduced by the Government of India to encourage reforms, transparency, and efficiency in the mining sector. It serves as a benchmarking tool to assess how well states are prepared to facilitate mining activities, particularly for non-coal minerals. The index evaluates state performance across several parameters, including auction performance, operationalisation speed of new mines, exploration initiatives, and adoption of sustainable mining practices. To ensure fair comparison, states have been grouped into three categories based on their geological potential and mineral endowment- Category A (mineral-rich states), Category B (moderately endowed states), and Category C (lesser-endowed states). According to officials, Uttarakhand's continued improvements in mining governance, policy reforms and digital monitoring systems have helped it achieve the top position in the country in mining reforms....