Critical Minerals

The critical minerals sector remains a cornerstone of India’s strategic autonomy and economic security, powering high-impact industries from defence and aerospace to electric mobility, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing amid intensifying geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities. Dependence on foreign sources for exploration, extraction, processing, separation, and recycling not only limits domestic value addition but also exposes national interests to global disruptions and technological deficits. As India accelerates its journey toward self-reliance under initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat, securing critical minerals has never been more urgent.

A recent Tech Talk roundtable on “Minerals That Matter: Geopolitics, Sovereignty & Value Chains” was organized by IP Bazzaar in association with the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) in SCOPE Convention center, New Delhi on 17, December 2025. Experts, industry leaders, government officials, policymakers, and researchers gathered to address this pressing challenge. The event was encouraged by the gracious best wishes of the Hon’ble Minister of Coal and Mines, Government of India, Shri G. Kishan Reddy.

At the occasion in his opening remarks, Major General (Dr) Ashok Kumar (Retd), VSM, Director General, Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), underscored the rapidly evolving strategic and geopolitical landscape, particularly in the context of increasing global competition over critical minerals and rare earth resources. He highlighted how geopolitical realignments, supply chain disruptions, and strategic dependencies have elevated critical minerals from being merely economic assets to key enablers of national security and strategic autonomy. 

Emphasising India’s growing requirements for advanced defence systems, clean energy technologies, and high-tech manufacturing, he stressed the urgent need for indigenous, cutting-edge technologies to secure, process, and sustainably utilise critical minerals. He further asserted that innovation anchored in a strong intellectual property ecosystem is indispensable for reducing external dependence and achieving Atmanirbharta in the global critical minerals race, calling for closer collaboration among defence institutions, research organisations, academia, and industry.