India's critical mineral list a step towards supply-chain security: Experts

Critical minerals refer to mineral resources, primary and processed, which are essential inputs in the production process and whose supplies could be disrupted

The release of the first list of critical minerals on Wednesday by India and the country’s entry into the US-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) have boosted its prospects of securing a global supply chain for the items.

In April, in the first such partnership, the Indian and Australian governments decided to jointly invest $3 million each in five critical mineral-exploration projects in Australia. Though India is ramping up its supply chain, it is still lagging behind China, which is one of the world’s largest producers or processors of critical minerals.

China produces 60 per cent of the world’s rare earth elements (REEs).