{"id":40883,"date":"2025-04-10T21:08:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40883"},"modified":"2025-04-10T21:10:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:40:09","slug":"national-critical-mineral-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-04-2025\/national-critical-mineral-mission","title":{"rendered":"National Critical Mineral Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ S&amp;T<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)<\/strong> was launched in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical minerals are <strong>essential for clean energy technologies<\/strong> like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, <strong>India launched the NCMM<\/strong> to ensure their long-term availability and processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The NCMM mission aims to establish a <strong>robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector<\/strong>. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A committee formed by the Ministry of Mines in November 2022 identified <strong>30 critical minerals<\/strong>, with 24 included in <strong>Part D of Schedule I of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957 (MMDR Act, 1957).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Union Government now has the exclusive authority to auction mining leases and composite licenses for these specific minerals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7e6e7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"494\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cmm-components.png\" alt=\"cmm components\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-40884\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7e6e7; width:380px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cmm-components.png 494w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cmm-components-300x277.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Critical minerals?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical minerals are essential for a country&#8217;s economic development and national security, and their lack of availability or concentration in a few geographical locations can lead to supply chain vulnerabilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Uses of Critical Minerals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Energy Security &amp; Clean Transition: <\/strong>Lithium, cobalt, nickel, and REEs are crucial for renewable energy systems (e.g. solar panels, wind turbines).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Support India\u2019s targets:<\/strong> 50% electric power from non-fossil sources by 2030\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Net-zero emissions by 2070<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increases wind energy capacity from 42 GW to 140 GW by 2030<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boost to Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Storage:<\/strong> Essential for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, the backbone of EVs and energy storage systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reduce India\u2019s dependency on imported oil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aligns with the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) and FAME scheme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Development &amp; Job Creation: <\/strong>Mining, processing, and R&amp;D in critical minerals can:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Attract domestic and foreign investment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create jobs in exploration, engineering, refining, and technology sectors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthen MSMEs and startups in the clean-tech value chain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Security: <\/strong>Critical minerals like rare earths, titanium, and tungsten are used in:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Defense (missile systems, stealth aircraft, radar)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Electronics (telecom, semiconductors, satellites)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduces strategic vulnerabilities by minimizing import dependence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infrastructure &amp; Digital Economy Backbone: <\/strong>Minerals like silicon, gallium, indium are essential for:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Semiconductors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5G\/6G tech<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smart grids, smart cities, and digital India initiatives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>IREL (India) Limited<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a key public sector enterprise under the <strong>Department of Atomic Energy<\/strong>, and plays a vital role in India&#8217;s critical minerals value chain.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With a processing capacity of <strong>6 lakh tonnes per annum<\/strong>, it produces essential beach sand minerals such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite, and garnet.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The company operates a <strong>Rare Earth Extraction Plant in Chatrapur, Odisha, and a Rare Earth Refining Unit in Aluva, Kerala<\/strong>, contributing to the indigenous processing of rare earth elements (REEs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>International Engagements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>KABIL-CAMYEN Agreement (Argentina, 2024):<\/strong> Lithium exploration over 15,703 hectares.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MoU with <strong>Australia\u2019s Critical Minerals Office (2022).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Talks with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for cobalt and copper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strategic tie-ups with Africa, Latin America, and ASEAN countries for secure sourcing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Risks: <\/strong>Dependence on imports from China, DRC, and South America.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Domestic Processing Capacity:<\/strong> India currently lacks advanced REE separation technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low Private Investment<\/strong>: Mining sector faces regulatory and financial entry barriers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Concerns:<\/strong> Mining and refining can damage local ecosystems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recycling Ecosystem: <\/strong>Still nascent and lacks scale.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strengthen domestic exploration and incentivize the private sector via PPP.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Forge long-term strategic partnerships with mineral-rich countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Boost R&amp;D and recycling to close the mineral loop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Skilling and capacity-building for critical mineral-specific technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: PIB<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) was launched in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The NCMM mission aims to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-04-2025\/national-critical-mineral-mission\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40902,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40883\/revisions\/40902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}