Unlocking the Nation's Critical Mineral Future

With China tightening its grip on global rare earth minerals, India's mineral-rich Northeast offers a strategic lifeline and an economic revolution waiting to happen.

- PROSENJIT NATH

The global shift towards clean energy and digital infrastructure has triggered a scramble for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, graphite, vanadium, and rare earth elements (REEs). These are essential not just for batteries and semiconductors but also for solar panels, electric vehicles, and advanced defense equipment. As countries race to secure supply chains, India must act swiftly, and in this unfolding geopolitical race, Northeast India may prove to be the game-changer.

For decades, the Northeast comprising eight states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur was viewed as a strategic outpost, culturally rich but economically marginal. That narrative has changed dramatically under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who not only brought the region into the mainstream but positioned it as central to India and broader national development goals.

Now, a fresh wave of discoveries is redefining the region's future. According to a recent Geological Survey of India (GSI) report, the Northeast is home to substantial reserves of critical and strategic minerals. These include REEs, lithium, graphite, vanadium, nickel, and cobalt minerals that are key to India's clean energy ambitions and technological independence.