SRINAGAR: The Government of India has revealed detailed figures on the country’s rare earth mineral reserves, international partnerships, and policy reforms aimed at securing critical supply chains for sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, and defence. The information came in response to a starred question in the Lok Sabha by MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Adv Dean Kuriakose.
Replying on behalf of the Prime Minister, Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh said the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) has identified an estimated 7.23 million tonnes of in-situ Rare Earth Elements Oxide (REO) contained in 13.15 million tonnes of monazite deposits spread across coastal and inland regions of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Additionally, 1.29 million tonnes of REO resources have been traced in hard rock formations in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The Geological Survey of India has further augmented 482.6 million tonnes of REE ore resources across 34 exploration projects. Despite these domestic reserves, India has not imported rare earth minerals in the last decade, while its exports have remained minimal at just 18 tonnes over ten years, the minister informed.
Strategic Collaborations and Supply Chain Resilience
With China imposing restrictions on rare earth magnet exports, India has been expanding its international engagements to diversify supply sources. The Ministry of External Affairs has been holding bilateral and multilateral discussions to safeguard access to rare earth minerals and related technologies.
The Ministry of Mines has entered into cooperation agreements with countries including Australia, Argentina, Zambia, Peru, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Côte d’Ivoire, while also collaborating with international organisations like the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Key platforms such as the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), and the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) have been leveraged to strengthen India’s critical minerals value chain.
To secure overseas mineral assets, Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), a joint venture set up by the Ministry of Mines, has signed an exploration and development agreement with Argentina’s state-owned CAMYEN for lithium mining. KABIL is also working closely with Australia’s Critical Mineral Office and is exploring further Government-to-Government agreements with Brazil and the Dominican Republic for rare earth cooperation.
Policy Reforms and National Mission
Highlighting domestic measures, Dr Singh said the government amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in 2023 to create a dedicated category for 24 critical and strategic minerals, enabling the Centre to directly auction mining leases for these minerals.
Further, the government has initiated offshore mineral block auctions, announced exploration licences for 29 minerals, and removed customs duties on 25 key minerals to boost domestic processing and recycling.
The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), approved in January 2025 with a budget of Rs 16,300 crore, aims to ensure sustainable long-term supply chains. It will support mineral exploration, processing parks, recycling initiatives, and research and development for emerging technologies.
Currently, 195 exploration projects are underway for critical minerals, and this number will rise to 227 projects in 2025-26. In parallel, the government has auctioned 34 critical mineral blocks in five tranches and launched India’s first-ever offshore exploration bids in the Andaman Sea.
Bilateral Trade Implications
On the potential impact of halting rare earth exports to Japan, the minister said any disruption would be managed through strategic measures to protect bilateral trade and ongoing clean energy collaborations.
Rare earth elements are vital for high-demand industries including electric mobility, renewable energy infrastructure, advanced electronics and defence manufacturing. Global competition over their supply has intensified amid geopolitical shifts, prompting India to pursue a multi-pronged approach combining domestic resource development with overseas partnerships.
Industry experts say these efforts are crucial for India’s ambition to become a manufacturing hub for green technologies and advanced defence systems. However, long-term sustainability will depend on how swiftly India can move from resource identification to large-scale production, processing and recycling.
With this strategic roadmap, India is positioning itself to reduce import dependence and secure its place in the rapidly evolving global critical mineral supply chain.
