New Delhi: India has expanded its diplomatic and strategic footprint, entering into critical mineral partnerships with countries like Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Peru, Japan, Zambia, Mozambique, Mongolia, and the United States.
Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita informed the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply, on July 30, Thursday, about how India is forging global alliances and domestic recycling to secure its mineral future. Responding to a question on partnerships for critical minerals, Margherita said that the government has been continuously strengthening bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral engagements to enhance critical mineral supply chains.
“The Government has been constantly working to strengthen bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral engagements to secure reliable access to critical minerals essential for clean energy technologies, semiconductor manufacturing, defence production and other emerging technologies,” the Minister said in the written reply.
He said India has been engaging with partner countries and relevant international initiatives to enhance cooperation in areas including refining and processing technologies, securing long-term access to high-quality minerals and promoting sustainable methods to ensure reliable supplies. “Partnerships and cooperation arrangements have been entered into with countries such as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Peru, Japan, Zambia, Mozambique, Mongolia and the United States, to secure reliable access to critical minerals”, Margherita highlighted the critical mineral strategy of India.
The Minister added that India is also participating in multilateral initiatives, including the Forum on Responsible Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), which is a successor to the US-led Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) and the QUAD framework on critical minerals. These initiatives are intended to consolidate partnerships to ensure critical mineral security.
He said that the geopolitical developments have further highlighted the importance of resilient and diversified mineral supply chains, with the government taking steps to promote research and development, technology sharing and investment across the critical minerals value chain. Margherita said India has launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) to secure a long-term sustainable supply of critical minerals and strengthen the entire value chain, covering exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing and recovery from end-of-life products.
“The Government has been taking measures to ensure long-term mineral security, including through recycling of minerals from waste, technology sharing and collaborative research efforts relating to critical minerals”, the Minister further added. Under the NCMM, an incentive scheme has also been launched to promote recycling capacity for extraction of critical minerals from secondary sources such as waste and scrap.
(With Inputs from ANI)
