{"id":85236,"date":"2026-09-21T18:13:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=85236"},"modified":"2026-09-21T18:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:44:25","slug":"rare-earth-magnets-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-09-2026\/rare-earth-magnets-india","title":{"rendered":"Mapping the Magnet Value Chain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2025, China\u2019s export limitations on rare earth magnets and related minerals emphasised India\u2019s dependence on vital stages of the permanent-magnet sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Rare Earth Magnets?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rare earth elements are a set of <strong>17 <\/strong>elements, including the <strong>15 lanthanides<\/strong> as well as <strong>scandium and yttrium.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rare earth elements such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium are important for producing high-performance permanent magnets.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The two main types are <strong>Neodymium (Nd-Fe-B) <\/strong>and <strong>Samarium Cobalt (SmCo) magnets.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite the name, rare earth elements are not geologically rare but are <strong>difficult to extract economically<\/strong> due to their dispersed occurrence and the environmental cost of mining.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Availability of Rare Earth Magnets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China controls over <strong>85% <\/strong>of global rare earth magnet production, and dominates the supply chain from mining to refining to magnet manufacturing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India,<\/strong> despite having rare earth reserves (especially in<strong> monazite sands in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha<\/strong>), but lacks advanced refining capabilities and downstream magnet manufacturing industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance for India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Energy Transition: <\/strong>High-performance magnets are used in EV motors and renewable-energy technologies, making magnet security <strong>crucial for India&#8217;s decarbonisation goals.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthens Advanced Manufacturing: <\/strong>Robotics, automation, precision machinery and other high-technology industries increasingly depend on compact and powerful permanent magnets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhances Strategic Security:<\/strong> Permanent magnets have applications in aerospace, defence, electronics and advanced weapon systems, making their supply chains strategically important.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduces External Vulnerability: <\/strong>Developing capabilities across the value chain can reduce excessive dependence on a small number of foreign suppliers and improve India&#8217;s supply chain resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c1c8cf\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-165-1024x683.png\" alt=\"rare earth magnets india\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-85237\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c1c8cf; aspect-ratio:1.499330655957162;width:634px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-165-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-165-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-165-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-165.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are the challenges<\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low-grade resources: <\/strong>India possesses significant rare-earth resources, but much of these are of <strong>low grade and associated with radioactive minerals<\/strong> such as monazite, making extraction complex and expensive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited midstream capabilities:<\/strong> India has capabilities in mining, separation and production of rare-earth oxides, but industrial-scale capacity for <strong>metals, alloys and permanent magnets<\/strong> remains limited.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dependence on imported magnets: <\/strong>Despite having domestic rare-earth resources, India remains dependent on imports for rare-earth permanent magnets and related products, particularly for advanced manufacturing applications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives taken by India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) <\/strong>was approved in 2025 with an overall outlay of <strong>\u20b934,300 crore <\/strong>and covers the complete critical-mineral value chain, from exploration and mining to beneficiation, processing and recycling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The government has expanded exploration of critical minerals through the <strong>Geological Survey of India (GSI) <\/strong>and amended the <strong>Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, <\/strong>to facilitate greater exploration and mining.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical-mineral blocks, including rare-earth blocks, have also been auctioned.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets:<\/strong> It was approved in <strong>2025 <\/strong>with a financial outlay of<strong> Rs.7280 crore.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It aims to establish <strong>6,000 Metric Tons per Annum (MTPA)<\/strong> of integrated <strong>Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) <\/strong>manufacturing in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL)<\/strong> has been established to acquire critical-mineral assets overseas and secure long-term supplies of minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strategic Magnet Manufacturing:<\/strong> A Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant at <strong>Vizag <\/strong>has been established for indigenous production of <strong>Samarium-Cobalt (SmCo) magnets<\/strong>, particularly relevant for strategic sectors such as defence and atomic energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rare Earth Corridors:<\/strong> The Union Budget 2026\u201327 announced dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in <strong>Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu <\/strong>to strengthen the rare-earth ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical-mineral security is not merely about possessing minerals; it is about possessing the technological capability to convert them into strategic industrial products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A national database should integrate information on resources, processing capacity, technology ownership, trade flows and downstream applications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Greater emphasis should be placed on<strong> separation, refining, alloy production<\/strong> and <strong>high-performance magnet manufacturing<\/strong>, rather than focusing only on mining.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/missing-measure-in-indias-magnet-mission\/article71488862.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In 2025, China\u2019s export limitations on rare earth magnets and related minerals emphasised India\u2019s dependence on vital stages of the permanent-magnet sector. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What are Rare Earth Magnets? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements, including the 15 lanthanides as well as scandium and yttrium. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Rare earth elements such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium are important for producing high-performance permanent magnets. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-09-2026\/rare-earth-magnets-india\" 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-85236","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\/85236","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=85236"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85241,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85236\/revisions\/85241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}