India’s Push for Critical Mineral Self-Reliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored India’s determined march toward self-sufficiency in critical minerals, vital for technology, energy, and defense sectors. Highlighting the global race for resources like lithium, cobalt, rare earths, and graphite—essential for electric vehicles, solar panels, and electronic chips PM Modi announced that exploration efforts are active at over 1,200 sites across India under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). “Self-reliance in critical minerals is absolutely essential,” he stated, emphasizing their pivotal role in India’s clean energy transition and economic security.

The NCMM, approved in January 2025 with a ₹16,300-crore budget, aims to reduce India’s import dependency, particularly on China, which dominates global supply chains. With 100% of lithium, cobalt, and nickel imported in 2020, the mission focuses on exploration, mining, and recycling, alongside securing overseas assets in countries like Zambia, Australia, and Chile. PM Modi also unveiled the National Deep Water Exploration Mission to tap underwater mineral resources, reinforcing India’s strategic autonomy.

PM Modi linked mineral self-reliance to broader energy independence, noting that reliance on foreign oil and gas drains resources that could uplift youth, farmers, and rural communities. “If we were not dependent, that wealth would have fought poverty and supported our villages,” he said.

India’s early achievement of 50% clean energy capacity by 2025, coupled with advancements in solar, nuclear, and hydrogen energy, underscores this vision. The government’s push includes 10 new nuclear reactors and private sector participation in nuclear energy to achieve a tenfold capacity increase by 2047.

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By fostering domestic innovation and global partnerships, India aims to secure its place in the clean energy revolution, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative to build a self-reliant, developed nation by 2047.

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