Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said several countries were placing their trust in India as it works to strengthen access to critical minerals.
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He highlighted the importance of these resources to modern technology and said the government was pursuing both domestic exploration and international partnerships to secure supplies.
“Discussion is taking place regarding critical minerals…The goals for critical minerals are being shared; we have launched the National Critical Mineral Mission. In the budget, we announced the Critical Mineral Corridor.
“Agreements are being made with multiple countries. Many nations worldwide are now trusting India in this pursuit of critical minerals,” he said.
The government has earmarked Rs 16,300 crore for the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), while public sector enterprises are expected to contribute Rs 18,000 crore to the initiative. The mission also aims to expand exploration for critical minerals within India.Critical minerals including copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are key inputs for a range of technologies, from electric vehicles and batteries to wind turbines and electricity networks. Their importance has grown as countries seek to expand clean energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
As part of its push to build domestic processing capacity, the government plans to establish four dedicated critical mineral processing parks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
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The parks are intended to accelerate value addition and develop integrated ecosystems around key battery materials and other critical minerals. Individual facilities will specialise in specific elements, with lithium and nickel among the minerals being prioritised for the battery sector.
The remaining critical minerals will also have downstream processing facilities developed as part of the programme.
Under the plan, each park will house an integrated value chain for a designated mineral, covering processing through downstream industries and allowing the complete value addition process to be carried out at a single location.
The initiatives form part of India’s broader effort to secure supplies of resources considered strategically important for its technology, manufacturing, energy-transition and national economic ambitions.