India Secures Critical Minerals: PM Modi''s Global Strategy

PM Modi announced India's efforts to secure critical minerals, signing agreements with multiple countries to strengthen supply chains. He emphasized that many nations now trust India in this pursuit. Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on India's 80th Independence Day, Modi stated that the entire technology sector depends on critical minerals. He introduced the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) and the Critical Mineral Corridor in the budget. The government has allocated Rs 16,300 crore for NCMM, with public sector enterprises expected to contribute Rs 18,000 crore. NCMM aims to promote domestic exploration of critical minerals like copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths, essential for clean energy technologies such as wind turbines, electricity networks, electric vehicles, and battery manufacturing. The government plans to establish four critical mineral processing parks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to enhance value addition for battery materials. These parks will host specialized facilities for lithium and nickel, with downstream processing for other minerals.