New Delhi [India], September 18 : Critical minerals are set to shape India's energy, technology and industrial future, with industry leaders stressing the need for urgent action to bridge gaps.
Speaking toon the sidelines of the India Mining Summit 2025, Arun Misra, Chairman of the CII National Committee on Mining and CEO of Hindustan Zinc Ltd, said that India is moving in the right direction.
"Because lots of mineral options are happening, the NMET (National Mineral Exploration Trust) fund has been created, lots of new exploration companies have been recognised, so I think it's on the right step," Misra said.
Calling critical minerals central to India's transition story, Vilas Tathwadkar, Chief Technology Officer of Hindalco Industries, highlighted their role in new technologies. "Critical minerals are going to play a critical role because whether it is an energy transition, whether it is mobility, which we are going for EV, or in the electronics technologies which we are putting up in the semi-fab labs," he said.
"We have gallium, but we need to have a purification, otherwise we cannot use it for semiconductor applications. We don't have people in mining, metallurgy, and mineral beneficiation, which are very critical. We need to address these skill gaps and build an ecosystem quickly with startups, collaborations and policy support," he said.
He added that while government reforms have begun, deeper interventions are required. "Policy intervention is required not only for mineral exploration but up to the end use... otherwise we are going to have dependency on external resources. Atma Nirbhar Bharat needs the entire ecosystem to be secured through all stakeholders," Tathwadkar noted.
Hanuma Prasad, Managing Director of Deccan Gold Mines Ltd., said the country is facing a serious situation. "As far as the critical minerals are concerned, India is facing a kind of emergency. You need to have these discussions, and the way forward has to be thought out seriously," he said.
He pointed to the need for exploration and capital support. "The most critical thing is exploration. You have to search, and that policy should be good. Then, there is a capital requirement for the exploration. These are the two things. Some more policies need to be fine-tuned," Prasad said. He added that the government's recent move to fund overseas explorers on the condition of bringing minerals back to India is a "positive step".
Prasad also noted that India's mining sector has been dormant for decades. "The last gold mine that was established in this country was in 1945. After that, no new mine has been established. Ours will be the first one in Andhra Pradesh, and once commissioned, it will be a historic moment," he said.
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