India in push for rare earth minerals with R&D focus

Projects will look at critical minerals like lithium, nickel and tungsten over three-year period

- Subhash Narayan

India is scaling up efforts to secure supplies of critical and rare earth minerals, with the mines ministry inviting research and development proposals for mining technology, including deep-sea and green mining, from academic institutions.

India’s plan is to establish and support R&D projects, focussing on critical, rare earth and deep-seated minerals like lithium, nickel and tungsten over three years. The ministry seeks to develop sustainable solutions using technologies like robotics, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and machine learning for exploration, prospecting, and mining of strategically important minerals found in challenging locations.