India is stepping up efforts to strengthen its critical minerals ecosystem, with a focus on scaling up domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets and accelerating lithium exploration, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha.
Responding during the Budget Session, the Minister said India aims to achieve a domestic production capacity of 5,000 tonnes of rare earth permanent magnets by 2030. This comes amid a sharp rise in demand, with current requirements estimated at 4,000 tonnes, expected to double to nearly 8,000 tonnes by the end of the decade.
To bridge this gap, the government has initiated a pilot project on neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets. In addition, a samarium-cobalt magnet plant in Visakhapatnam has been made operational with an initial capacity of 500 tonnes per year. This is planned to be scaled up to 2,000 tonnes in the next phase and eventually to 5,000 tonnes by 2030.
Highlighting a coordinated policy push, the Minister said multiple ministries are working together to fast-track exploration and development of critical minerals. Lithium exploration is also gaining momentum, with preliminary surveys underway in Degana in Rajasthan, while similar efforts are ongoing in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
He noted that lithium and rare earth elements are essential for sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, electronics, defence, aerospace, and space, and will play a key role in supporting clean energy transitions and emerging technologies.
The government has also moved to liberalise the sector, allowing greater private participation in exploration and processing under updated policy frameworks, while maintaining safeguards for strategic resources.
As part of ecosystem development, rare earth corridors have been announced in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala to strengthen domestic processing and value addition capabilities.
The Minister pointed out that rare earth deposits in India are found in both beach sands and rock formations, requiring varied exploration techniques. States such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jharkhand hold notable rock-based deposits, which are more complex to develop.
Addressing environmental concerns, he said regulatory safeguards for mining activities are overseen by the Ministry of Mines, and stressed the need to curb illegal mining practices.
