New Delhi [India], September 17 : Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Thursday, stated that building domestic capabilities is essential to reduce reliance on other countries, warning that self-reliance remains an illusion without genuine independence.
Addressing the third FICCI Conference on Digitalization, AI, Automation and Technology Integration in Mining and Metals, the minister said the mining and metals sector faces structural pressures ranging from declining ore grades, deeper deposits, and high energy costs to geopolitical concentration in critical mineral supply chains and decarbonisation requirements.
"I think it's important to have domestic capabilities if you have to reduce your reliance on others. Self-reliance can only happen when you are not dependent on others. Otherwise it's just a self-deceptive thought," Singh said.
He noted that the sector requires internal capacities spanning separation, purification, refining, magnet manufacturing, and recycling. Pointing to the utilisation of steel slag in road construction, Singh said the concept of industrial waste is outdated because byproducts are now actively reused.
"Technology can be a strategic enabler. It could be digital technology to provide visibility, protection, coordination, and automation. And of course, process technologies that change the physical production system that we achieve," the minister said.
Turning to artificial intelligence, Singh said the technology is an essential operational tool across sectors rather than an exclusive asset for mining and metals. He stressed that outcomes depend on human stewardship.
"AI is more of a tool which is applicable everywhere. It's something that you have to do in the times to come. It's no longer a choice," he said. "What is more important is how intelligent you are to handle artificial intelligence and finally the human led artificial intelligence. And that is a means to a process, not the process per se."
Contrasting past decades, when India lagged behind global industrial shifts by years, Singh said the country is now an early adopter in frontier areas like quantum technology, space exploration, and biotechnology. He highlighted government initiatives to support the private sector, including a Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) fund established to accelerate industry partnerships.
The minister urged industry leaders to develop solutions tailored to domestic operating realities rather than relying on external datasets.
"Indian data for Indian solutions. Indian treatment for Indian diseases which also has started happening now of late in the last 10 years or so. And I think the same is applicable also in this sector," Singh said.
"A technology or data developed in a European country may not be applicable in India, but developed in India as a whole may be applicable in lot many other countries because we are a subcontinent," he said, noting that solutions rooted in India's diversity can serve global applications under the spirit of Vishwa Bandhu Bharat.