Minerals

Govt notifies coking coal as critical mineral to cut import dependence

The Centre has notified coking coal as a critical mineral to speed up mining, attract private investment, and cut India's heavy dependence on imports for steelmaking

Jaishankar to attend US Critical Minerals meet as India joins Pax Silica

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Washington in early February to attend the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, as India prepares to join the US-led Pax Silica initiative

US to inject $1.6 billion into rare earths miner for 10% stake: Report

The government would receive 16.1 million shares in the rare earths company, along with warrants for a further 17.6 million, both priced at $17.17, the report said

Centre announces India's first tailings policy for critical minerals

Tailings refer to the leftover waste material after valuable minerals are extracted from crushed ore, forming a slurry of rock particles, water and processing chemicals

Nalco explores entry into rare earth mining amid critical minerals push

State-owned Nalco is open to venturing into mining of rare earth elements (REEs) with its bid advisor conducting due diligence on domestic auctions for REEs, magnesium and chromite blocks, its CMD Brijendra Pratap Singh Monday said. The move signals National Aluminium Company Ltd's (Nalco) diversification strategy beyond bauxite and alumina, targeting high-value critical minerals essential for electronics, defence, renewables and electric vehicles. REEs are important for magnets in wind turbines, EV motors and missile guidance systems. India, heavily import-dependent with negligible domestic output, views REE self-reliance as key to Atmanirbhar Bharat and reducing China's 80 per cent global dominance amid US-China trade tensions. In an interview to PTI here, the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) said the bid advisor will assess mine viability, optimal acquisition premiums and participation in upcoming auctions. "The bid advisor will assess if we should participate in domestic .

China's rare-earth product exports fall as tensions with Japan draw focus

Rare earths have emerged as a flash point in trade relations in recent years, with the US and other nations seeking to challenge China's dominance of their mining and processing

Critical mineral supply chain needs collective global action: Vaishnaw

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

Govt finalising RFP for ₹7,280 crore rare earth magnet scheme: Kumaraswamy

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 ..

US to push for quicker action in reducing reliance on China for rare earths

"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

2025: When multilateralism weakened, but global trade remained resilient

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

US revives graphite mining amid battery boom, China trade tensions

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 starts issuing licenses to import rare earth magnets into India

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

Parl panel suggests funding boost for IREL to prioritise rare earth mining

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

Parl panel flags delays, seeks clearances for critical mineral projects

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

Ashapura Minechem shares jump 5% to fresh high; what's driving the rally?

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.

Explained: All about India's ₹7,280 crore push to build rare earth magnet industry

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

G20 backs critical minerals plan to boost inclusive growth, resilience

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

UK unveils critical minerals strategy to cut reliance on foreign supply

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

The tough race for critical minerals continues despite viability fears

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

Govt launches ₹210 crore research programme for critical minerals

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