India’s Critical Mineral Mission

The Government of India launched the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to secure long-term domestic and global supply chains of strategic minerals essential for clean energy, advanced technologies, and national security.

Critical Minerals: The Strategic Foundation of India’s Energy and Economic Future

Introduction

• Critical minerals are essential for clean energy, advanced electronics, defence, and digital infrastructure.
• India released a list of 30 critical minerals in 2023, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, tungsten, vanadium, etc.
• With the launch of NCMM (2024–25 to 2030–31), India aims to strengthen exploration, extraction, processing, recycling, and global partnerships.

Key Features of National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

• Scope and Expenditure
  • Duration:7 years (2024–25 to 2030–31)
  • Outlay:?16,300 crore (government) + ?18,000 crore PSU/stakeholder investment
• Targets
  • 1,000 patents by 2030 in mineral R&D
  • 7 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in IITs & research institutions
  • 270 kilo ton annual recycling capacity by 2030
  • 40 kilo ton production of minerals from recycling
  • Job creation:~70,000 direct jobs
• Institutional Mechanism
  • Amendment of MMDR Act: Centre empowered to auction 24 of 30 minerals.
  • Pilot projects: ?100 crore for recovery from fly ash, mine tailings, red mud.
  • Incentive scheme: ?1,500 crore for recycling e-waste, battery scrap, end-of-life vehicles.

Critical Minerals in India’s Clean Energy Transition

• Solar Energy
  • Reliance on silicon, gallium, tellurium, indium for photovoltaic cells.
  • India’s solar capacity: 64 GW (2025), target 280 GW+ by 2030.
• Wind Energy
  • Neodymium, dysprosium crucial for permanent magnets in turbines.
  • India’s target: 140 GW wind capacity by 2030.
• Electric Mobility
  • Lithium, cobalt, nickel for EV batteries.
  • Target: 30% EV penetration by 2030.
• Energy Storage
  • Lithium-ion systems critical for renewable grid integration.
  • Strategic stockpiles planned for ensuring energy security.

Innovation and R&D Push

• Patent Ecosystem: 62 patents filed in May–June 2025, 10 granted.
• Focus on battery materials, advanced alloys, nanotechnology.
• Centres of Excellence: IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, CSIR labs (IMMT, NML), NFTDC Hyderabad.

Strategic and Geopolitical Dimension

• Global race for critical minerals: dominated by China, U.S., EU, Australia.
• India’s strategy: domestic exploration + overseas asset acquisition.
• Enhances supply chain resilience, reduces import dependency.
• Aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat and India’s net-zero target by 2070.

Global Partnerships

• Mineral Security Partnership (MSP): 14 countries + EU, chaired by South Korea; India exploring 32 global projects.
• iCET (India–US Initiative on Critical & Emerging Technologies): joint projects in exploration and R&D.
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF): India presented CM initiatives in 2024.
• India–UK Technology and Security Initiative (TSI): collaborative R&D.
• Quad Clean Energy Principles (2023): focus on resilient supply chains.
• Bilateral MoUs: with Australia, Argentina, Chile.

Challenges

• Limited domestic reserves of minerals like lithium and cobalt.
• High dependence on imports from geopolitically sensitive regions.
• Environmental and social risks from intensive mining.
• Need for advanced refining and processing technologies.

Way Forward

• Strategic Partnerships: Deepen collaborations with resource-rich countries (Australia, Chile, Argentina, Africa).
• Technology Development: Invest in indigenous refining, advanced metallurgy, and battery recycling.
• Environmental Safeguards: Balance extraction with sustainability through circular economy models.
• Skill Development: Establish academic–industry partnerships for human capital in mining and processing.
• Global Role: Position India as a critical minerals hub by leveraging International Solar Alliance (ISA) and new supply chain coalitions.