Critical Mineral Mission to boost exploration efforts: G Kishan Reddy

"The Government of India has launched the National Critical Minerals Mission to promote the exploration and mining of critical minerals both within the country and abroad, as well as to facilitate their import from various nations. We have made imports duty-free for this purpose. The government has initiated this mission with an allocation of Rs 32,000 crore. I firmly believe that in the coming days, a whole-of-government approach will lead to significant progress in this area," Reddy said.

The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.

A committee formed by the Ministry of Mines in November 2022 identified 30 critical minerals, with 24 included in Part D of Schedule I of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957 (MMDR Act, 1957). The inclusion of 24 critical minerals in Part D of the First Schedule of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) means that the Central Government now has the exclusive authority to auction mining leases and composite licenses for these specific minerals.

It also recommended setting up a Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals (CECM) to regularly update the mineral list and guide strategy.

Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing.

Critical minerals are essential for a country's economic development and national security, and their lack of availability or concentration in a few geographical locations can lead to supply chain vulnerabilities. (ANI)