The Government of India has entrusted seven leading institutions with the task of driving research and development in rare earth metals and critical minerals under the National Critical Minerals Mission. The move is aimed at reducing import dependence and strengthening India’s role in the global supply chain for key minerals essential for the energy transition and high-tech manufacturing.
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IIT Dhanbad, NML Jamshedpur Get Major Responsibility
Among the designated Centres of Excellence are IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Roorkee, CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar, CSIR-NML Jamshedpur, and NFTDC Hyderabad. These institutions will focus on the entire value chain, from exploration and mining to refining and development of value-added products.
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Focus on Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earth Elements
The initiative will prioritise critical resources such as Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Graphite, Titanium, and Vanadium, along with rare earth elements like neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium. These metals are key for electric vehicles, battery production, wind energy systems, hydrogen technology, defence applications, and electronics manufacturing.
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Towards Mineral Self-Reliance
The mission is expected to make India more self-reliant in securing these strategic minerals and help reduce the country’s exposure to global supply disruptions. The Government sees this as a step towards enabling a sustainable energy future, supporting industrial growth, and ensuring that India becomes a major player in global critical mineral value chains.
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