Shift of Critical Minerals to India's Strategic Concern

 Editorial: Shift of Critical Minerals to India's Strategic Concern

Introduction: Critical minerals are essential for various industries, including clean energy technologies (e.g., electric vehicle batteries, solar panels), defense, and high-tech manufacturing.

Global Dependence and China's Dominance: Many countries are dependent on other nations for critical minerals, with China holding a dominant position in their processing.

India's Focus and National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM): India has shifted its focus towards securing critical minerals, launching the National Critical Mineral Mission in January 2025 with a budget of ₹16,300 crore. This mission aims to explore, mine, process, and support the supply chain of critical minerals within India.

India's List: India has identified 30 critical minerals crucial for its industries.

Challenges: The main challenge lies in the processing of critical minerals, not just their discovery or mining.

India's Strategy:

Domestic Exploration and Mining: Utilizing existing resources like monazite sand along coastal areas.

Investment in Processing Infrastructure: Establishing processing facilities to reduce dependence on other nations.

International Collaboration: Partnering with countries like Australia, European nations, Japan, the UK, and the US for technology transfer and secure supply chains.

Leadership Role: India's leadership in critical minerals relies on inter-ministerial coordination, state government involvement, global partnerships, and efficient execution of plans.