The move is aimed at maintaining a stock of critical minerals to spur the growth of strategic sectors such as defence, advanced electronics and aerospace, among others.
“We are on the verge of finalising the policy on stockpiling of critical minerals which will be announced in about a month’s time,” Mines Secretary Keshav Chandra told reporters here.
He made these remarks on the sidelines of India Mines and Minerals Conclave 2026 organised by Industry body Assocham.
The government is also working on four dedicated critical minerals processing parks across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to fast-track value addition for key battery materials, the official said.
The government has already released a list of over 30 critical minerals taking into account the requirements of sectors like defence, agriculture, energy, pharmaceutical, telecom and other critical sectors.
Critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential raw materials required to fuel the growth of clean energy technologies and their expanding uses across wind turbines, electricity networks, electric vehicles and battery manufacturing.