Minerals

India urges global cooperation to build resilient critical minerals supply chains, focusing on rare earths, sustainable processing, technology sharing and recycling during a US ministerial meeting

The government is in the process of finalising the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Monday, urging domestic and international players to participate in the bidding process. The Minister for Heavy Industries & Steel chaired a stakeholder consultation meeting on the scheme with various industrial stakeholders from India and abroad. Kumaraswamy emphasised that the Scheme represents a pivotal step towards establishing a self-reliant, resilient, and globally competitive ecosystem for Rare Earth Permanent Magnets, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. "He urged all eligible domestic and international players to seize this opportunity and contribute to India's long-term growth story by participating in the bidding process. The minister also informed that the Ministry is in the process of finalising the Request for Proposal (RFP)," the Heavy Industries Ministry ..

"Urgency is the theme of the day. It's a very big undertaking. There's a lot of different angles, a lot of different countries involved and we really just need to move faster," the official said

In 2025, multilateral trade rules weakened as the US raised tariffs, yet global trade stayed resilient, led by strong supply chains, China's leverage and India's adaptive policy response

Graphite mines in the United States largely closed down seven decades ago. Mining the ubiquitous mineral found in everything from nuclear reactors to pencils seemed to make little sense when it could be imported inexpensively from other nations, especially China. That view is changing now. Demand for graphite, a key material in the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from phones to electric cars, is surging as trade tensions with China persist. With federal officials concerned about the steady supply of a number of critical minerals, several companies have plans to mine graphite. In New York, Titan Mining Corp has mined a limited amount of ore from a deposit in snowy woods about 40 km from the Canadian border, aiming for commercial sales by 2028. Company officials believe the geopolitical winds are at their backs to sell graphite concentrate for high-tech, industrial and military uses. That could include heat-resistant coatings in factories, anodes in large lithium-ion ...

China has begun clearing export licences for rare earth magnets to India, easing supply disruptions for automakers and EV makers after months of delays caused by trade curbs

Amid the rising global demand for rare earth elements, a parliamentary panel has urged the government to bolster IREL (India) with focused budgetary support to prioritise exploration and mining of the critical mineral. IREL (India), a central public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is the only company in India that is engaged in the mining of rare earth ores and refining them into rare earth oxides. The Standing Committee on Coal, Mines, and Steel, in its latest report, also asked the government to formulate strategies for their domestic availability, identification, exploration, and economic viability, aiming to bring down the country's heavy import dependence. Rare earth minerals broadly are a group of metallic elements that are difficult and expensive to extract and process because they are rarely found in high concentrations. They play a critical role in clean energy applications like wind energy turbines, hybrid car batteries, electric motors, sol

A Parliamentary Panel has flagged delays between mine auctions and operationalisation and has urged the government to explore setting up an inter-ministerial committee to monitor the post-auction progress for mineral and critical mineral projects. The panel also stressed that critical mineral projects should be given priority in necessary statutory clearances. "Although policy initiatives and simplification of exploration norms for auction of mineral blocks are in place, the Committee feels that the lengthy process of regulatory clearances, inadequate exploration, forest clearance requirement even at the exploration stage, considerable time lag between auction of mines and their operationalisation, etc., needs to be looked into," it said. The observations were made by the Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel in its latest report titled "Self-Reliance in Minerals and Metals". "In view of these persistent challenges, the committee desires to explore the possibility of setting

The market price of smallcap industrial products company hit a new high of ₹783, has more than doubled or zoomed 147 per cent from its 52-week low of ₹302 touched on March 11, 2025.

The Union Cabinet has approved a landmark ₹7,280 crore scheme to build India’s first integrated rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing ecosystem

The framework seeks to ensure that mineral-producing countries, particularly in the Global South, derive maximum benefit from their resources, moving beyond mere raw material exports

Backed by up to 50 million pounds in new funding, the strategy seeks to ensure no more than 60 per cent of the UK's supply of any one critical mineral comes from a single country by 2035

While the auction of mines has attracted high bids, just how many of these mines will actually be commercially viable remains to be seen

The government has rolled out a Rs 210-crore, three-year critical minerals research programme led by ANRF and the Ministry of Mines, restricted to nine Centres of Excellence

Initial capital expenditure for the project is estimated at $1.10 billion, with KCL granted first rights to participate in direct equity or project-level investments during the term of the agreement

Trump is meeting with representatives of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in an event intended to mark the 10th anniversary of the so-called C5+1 format

While the auction of mines has attracted aggressive bidding - with many willing to pay high premiums - how many of those will actually be commercially viable remains to be seen

Amid China's restriction of rare-earth permanent magnet exports to India, the ministry is looking into ways to reduce India's dependence on other countries

A US delegation held talks with Pakistani officials to seek cooperation in minerals and mining as Washington races to secure mineral supply chains for American industry amid concerns over China's increasing control on rare-earth resources. The US delegation, led by Critical Minerals Forum (CMF) chief Robert Louis Strayer II, along with US Charg d'Affaires Natalie Baker, met Minister for Finance & Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb and his team on Friday. According to an official statement, the US delegation discussed avenues of cooperation in the minerals and mining sector, strengthening supply-chain security, and encouraging responsible and sustainable investment in Pakistan's critical minerals landscape. It said that Aurangzeb highlighted Pakistan's ongoing structural reforms, fiscal discipline, and positive global outlook, emphasising that a robust minerals policy can drive Pakistan toward export-led growth and long-term economic stability. Both sides reaffirmed commitment to continued

Xi's remarks came as he was the only superpower left at the summit after US President Donald Trump departed from South Korea a day earlier