Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy announced on Friday that the government is stepping up efforts to support private mining entrepreneurs overseas. Speaking at the CII Global Summit in New Delhi, Reddy stated that facilitating the domestic private sector to secure critical mineral assets abroad and transport them back home serves as the need of the hour for India. According to ANI, the minister emphasized that 'Most of all, we are giving encouragement to the private sector. We are motivating them. Through the Indian Embassy and through the foreign embassies in India, the private sector can go to the mineral nations and do land acquisition, mining, semi processing, and bring raw material to India'. The government has appointed mineral officers in embassies in all mineral-rich nations to facilitate India's push for overseas critical mineral security. Reddy acknowledged that 'We are encouraging this. We are talking to different companies. More than PSUs, going to the private sector and bringing critical minerals to India is the need of the hour'.
Reddy revealed that India has acquired five lithium blocks in Argentina and is actively pursuing opportunities in Australia and Chile as well. As reported by ANI, the minister noted that 'We have done exploration activities in different places in India, but lithium is a very scarce resource in India. That is why in Argentina we have done 5 lithium land blocks acquisition. Exploration work is going on. We are also talking to Australia and to Chile. We are encouraging private companies to go abroad to acquire lithium blocks and bring them to India'. The government has also entered into partnerships with several technology-advanced nations including Japan, Peru, UK, and the USA. According to ANI, Reddy highlighted that 'We are giving encouragement to the private sector. We are motivating them. Through the Indian Embassy and through the foreign embassies in India, the private sector can go to the mineral nations and do land acquisition, mining, semi processing, and bring raw material to India'. A little-known network of Indian and Indian-origin miners has acquired critical mineral assets abroad and are seeking diplomatic support from the government, with Indian and Indian-origin miners having acquired exploration rights over critical mineral assets overseas but await stronger institutional engagement from the government to help unlock their potential.
According to ANI, the National Critical Mineral Mission has started an incentive scheme of ₹36,000 crore to expand domestic capabilities. The Ministry has shortlisted 58 recycling entities out of 125 applicants under an initial phase supported by an outlay of ₹1,500 crore, with individual allocations referred to NITI Aayog. Reddy emphasized that 'And through urban mining, through e-waste, we want to extract critical minerals. The amount of critical minerals India needs, in that 25-30% from e-waste through recycling we can extract critical minerals'. Under the National Critical Mineral Mission, the Geological Survey of India has taken up 300 critical mineral exploration projects this year alone, and four critical mineral processing plants are being developed with state governments of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The plants are being established to process imported raw materials, domestic reserves, and recycled output.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has announced support for critical minerals infrastructure development, particularly focusing on the Lobito Corridor in Central and Southern Africa. As reported by USTDA, this initiative aims to strengthen power infrastructure along the Lobito Corridor specifically, which is a key logistics route vital to diversifying U.S. critical mineral supply chains. The project will provide technical analysis, commercial structure, and financing to implement power infrastructure for copper and cobalt mining operations in the DRC and Zambia. The initiative is designed to reduce mining operators' reliance on costly diesel generation and bring new electricity access for more than 3 million homes and businesses in the region. This represents a great example of how power infrastructure needed for heavy industries has follow-on effects for communities, with USTDA prioritizing projects that advance shared strategic priorities, have potential for U.S. exports, and support partner development priorities.
