New Delhi: Critical minerals will be among the major items on the agenda at the BRICS Summit, Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy said on Friday. The government is taking several steps to improve the availability of these minerals in the country, he said. As part of that effort, India is holding government-to-government talks with Argentina, Australia and Chile to secure lithium blocks.
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Reddy was speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd Global Summit on Advanced Materials, Critical Minerals and Metals. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised the event in New Delhi.
Critical minerals will be discussed at the summit, Reddy said. He held a special meeting with a delegation from Russia on Thursday, ahead of the gathering.
India hosts the two-day BRICS Summit from Saturday. The summit is expected to focus on building collective resilience in food, energy, health, disaster reduction and critical supply chains. As host, New Delhi is expected to present the bloc as an effective anchor in a fragmented geopolitical environment.
According to Reddy, no development is possible today without critical minerals. "From cell phone to space technology to manufacturing of cameras, everywhere critical minerals are needed. So that's why the government wants to make India self-sufficient," he said.
In a post on X, Reddy said his address to industry leaders and global stakeholders at the CII summit covered "India's transition from mineral dependence to self-reliance." He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for India's work to build strategic depth across the critical mineral value chain. He described that value chain as "the fundamental backbone supporting everything from AI and semiconductors to clean energy."
Efforts are under way to acquire lithium blocks in Argentina, Australia and Chile, Reddy said. These talks are taking place at government-to-government level and between companies. In his post, he said India had secured five lithium blocks in Argentina through Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL). KABIL had also formed strategic partnerships to safeguard domestic industries, he wrote.
Reddy also suggested that private companies look for more critical mineral assets outside India. They should begin exploration on those assets, process the minerals and supply them to India, he said.
In the post, Reddy also pointed to what he described as rapid progress under the Rs 34,000-crore National Critical Mineral Mission. He said 571 exploration projects had been taken up in two years. He also cited four dedicated mineral processing parks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Urban mining and e-waste recycling are part of the same effort, supported by a Rs 1,500 crore incentive scheme. The scheme is meant "to fast-track secondary mineral recovery and build long-term supply resilience," Reddy wrote.
He called on private industry, micro, small and medium enterprises, and tech startups to draw on reforms under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act. With those reforms, he wrote, they should "lead AI-driven innovation in exploration, mine safety, and processing efficiency."
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"Together, through resilient supply chains and strong public-private partnerships, we are building a sustainable mineral ecosystem for a self-reliant, net-zero economy and a Viksit Bharat," he wrote.