Mines ministry preparing policy for critical minerals to boost supply chain

The Mines Ministry is in the process of preparing a policy for critical minerals which will include a road map for strengthening the supply chain of these essential resources, an official release said on Monday.

Critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential components in many of today's rapidly growing clean energy technologies from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles.

"The strategy will also identify the responsibilities of different ministries of Government of India in ensuring the resilience of the supply chain of critical minerals," the Mines Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry is also preparing a strategy for recycling of metals which will help to increase the recycling capability and streamline the recycling process and will also work with partner countries to co-develop mineral processing and raw material manufacturing capabilities.

Apart from strengthening the domestic mechanisms, collaborative international efforts through multilateral and bilateral engagements have been made to build a resilient critical minerals value chain.

The Ministry of Mine is actively engaging in new partnerships and alliances like the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.

The mines ministry is organising an outreach programme on 'Role of the Government and Industry in Driving the Global Action of Critical Minerals' on Wednesday in the national capital.

The event will be attended by Ambassadors, Mission Heads of various countries as well as representatives of businesses in India and other stakeholders.

The mines ministry has been actively involved in the deliberations in G20 and was instrumental in ensuring that the role of critical minerals in energy transitions has been acknowledged by the G20 Community.

"To take the deliverables of New Delhi Leaders' Declaration forward ministries/departments are actively engaging to ensure that India's narrative is embedded in the future G20 work. The Ministry of Mines is organising the present outreach programme involving the ambassadors, mission heads of various countries and other stakeholders to discuss the way forward," the statement said.