Critical Minerals and Strategic Sovereignty: Need for a Mineral-wise Strategy for India

Siddhant Chandra and Larina Mahajan

According to the Ministry of Mines , “critical minerals” are defined as those minerals which are essential for economic development and national security, the lack of availability of these minerals or even concentration of existence, extraction or processing of these minerals in few geographical locations may lead to supply chain vulnerability and disruption. What makes them ‘critical’ is their limited concentration . A disruption in the supply of these minerals can significantly impact a country’s industrial output, national security, and technological advancement.