India has repositioned critical minerals as central to its industrial, clean energy and geopolitical strategy.
Structural Shifts:
• 30 Critical Minerals officially notified
• National Critical Mineral Mission (₹16,300 crore outlay; 1,200 exploration projects by FY2031)
• Removal of import duties on capital goods for processing
• ₹7,280 crore scheme for rare earth permanent magnets
• Strategic move from mining focus to refining and deep processing
China currently dominates up to 90% of global processing capacity in several minerals, making supply chain resilience a core priority.
India’s push now integrates AI-led exploration, geoscience data digitisation, EV-linked domestic demand creation, and partnerships with Australia, EU, US, Japan and UK.
