India needs to source technology & equipment for mining critical minerals: Joint Secretary

New Delhi: For India, self-reliance in the critical mineral sector will look more like finding diversified sources to depend on for mining technology, equipment, and sourcing of critical minerals, while building domestic capability, said Dr Veena Kumari Dermal, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Mines on Tuesday. Delivering the closing remarks at the ‘Critical Minerals Summit: Enhancing Beneficiation and Processing Capabilities’ in New Delhi, Dr Dermal said that India can find and mine the critical minerals it has, but in order to increase domestic supply, the country will have to look at alternate sources.

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“We need advanced technology in exploration and mining which we may have to get from other countries. We need equipments, whether it is for exploration or mining. Then to increase the supply of minerals, we need to increase domestic supply and also go out and look at international supply chains. We have what we have. We cannot increase the supply. We can only find the resources we have not yet found. So, we need to look into alternate sources of supply. Here recycling will also play an important role,” said Dr Dermal. The two-day-long summit featured discussions on how to overcome the vulnerabilities in the supply chain of critical minerals.

Need policy to encourage processing of critical minerals: Joint Secretary

While stating that the Indian critical mineral industry can cater to the global supply chain, the Joint Secretary said that India needs policy to encourage the processing of critical minerals, an industry which is highly concentrated in China alone. “When we process such minerals, when our companies process such minerals, is it beneficial or is it incentivised enough for them to invest additional amount of money for the technology and regular opex? Do we have a policy to encourage the processing of associated minerals?,” asked the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines.

“One heartening fact that came up in yesterday’s discussions is that we have enough internal capability for the processing of these minerals. Many of our labs are doing wonderful work and they can support the industry in developing the required processing technology. There is an ecosystem available, only more coordination is required from all of us to facilitate information-sharing between stakeholders. And while doing all this, we need to take care of sustainable development. It is the need of the hour,” she said.

On the second and final day of the summit, a panel discussion on policy incentives and the benefits of investing in India showcased a robust dialogue among stakeholders. Invest India made a presentation on ‘Critical Mineral Processing-opportunity in India,’ shedding light on fiscal and non-fiscal incentives available in the country. Leading mining states such as Odisha and Andhra Pradesh shared incentives provided by them for the industry, underlining the nation’s growth trajectory and state-level interventions to foster enabling infrastructure.

Emphasis was placed on a cluster-based approach to promote synergies in mineral extraction, refining and end-use, particularly in low-carbon technologies. The discussion underscored the importance of regulatory certainty, financing frameworks and ESG standards to attract investors. Panellists highlighted facilitation services offered by organisations like Invest India and the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL), facilitating the establishment of processing and beneficiation capabilities in India.

The objective of the Summit was to equip the government and industry stakeholders with the knowledge, connections and tools necessary to accelerate the domestic production of critical minerals, supporting India’s economic growth and sustainability objectives. The Summit served as a platform for transformative dialogue and collaboration, setting the stage for further conversations for short-listing the steps required to be taken for India’s emergence as a global leader in the critical mineral sector.

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