New Delhi [India], April 30 : A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Mines and Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, aimed at providing knowledge support in the field of critical minerals.
Critical minerals are crucial for India's economic development, national security, and low-carbon energy transition.
The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the two-day 'Critical Minerals Summit: Enhancing Beneficiation and Processing Capabilities' event that commenced at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on Monday.
The event featured exhibition pavilions showcasing a diverse array of minerals sourced from both terrestrial and marine environments.
VL Kantha Rao, Secretary of Mines, in his keynote address, underscored India's urgent need for robust exploration and utilization of critical minerals to support the nation's rapid economic growth and clean energy aspirations. He highlighted recent government initiatives, including mineral block auctions, aimed at accelerating domestic mineral exploration and production.
The summit also hosted dynamic panel discussions on crucial topics such as building India's processing and beneficiation capabilities and scaling strategies for domestic and global markets. Notable discussions revolved around the Ministry's commitment to infrastructure development for research and development in mineral processing.
Thereafter, a technology session was held where private companies, R&D institutions, academia as well as GSI and NFTDC showcased India's Mineral potential and technology available for processing and beneficiation of critical minerals in India, through a presentation.
The summit, poised to continue its deliberations Tuesday, aims to position India as a global hub for critical mineral processing, thereby supporting the nation's ambitions of becoming a self-reliant and globally competitive player in the critical minerals arena.
In June 2023, India identified 30 critical minerals taking into account its requirements for sectors like defence, agriculture, energy, pharmaceutical, and telecom and in line with its Atmanirbar (self-reliance) roadmap.
Those critical minerals are Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium, and Cadmium.
Critical minerals are those minerals that are essential for economic development and national security.