Critical minerals key to India's energy sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, national security: Dr Jitendra

Excelsior Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: India is no longer a country that waits for others to experiment and then follows their success; it is now confident of shaping its own global role in emerging technologies, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and MoS in the Prime Minister's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said today. Critical minerals are key to India's energy sovereignty, Industrial competitiveness and national security, he asserted.

The Minister said critical minerals and metals will be a driving component of the next phase of technological development, with their importance extending beyond mining to energy security, industrial competitiveness and national security.

Dr. Jitendra Singh was delivering the keynote address at the Special Plenary of the 3rd Global Summit on Advanced Materials, Critical Minerals, & Metals, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Silver Oak Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The summit, themed "Building Resilient Value Chains for a Sustainable and Competitive Future," brought together government, industry, research and international stakeholders.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said the global economy is undergoing a paradigm shift, with clean energy, electric mobility, semiconductors, telecommunications, aerospace, defence and nuclear energy emerging as major drivers of technological and industrial transformation. India, he said, is now participating in this global discourse with much greater confidence and is preparing to assume a larger global role.

He said the changing technological landscape makes it imperative for India to build capabilities across the entire value chain of critical minerals and advanced materials-from exploration and extraction to refining, processing, engineering and manufacturing. Domestic resources will have to be combined optimally with international resources, while indigenous technologies and globally competitive benchmarks are developed simultaneously.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said advanced materials and critical minerals require a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach, with industry being an integral partner. India has to pursue global strategies and international partnerships while strengthening its domestic technological capabilities, he said.

Referring to the government's approach towards strategic sectors, the Minister said India has taken significant steps to bring private industry into areas that were traditionally considered beyond its reach. He referred particularly to the opening up of the nuclear sector to private players, describing it as an important change in India's approach to strategic technology and investment.

He invited international investors and industry, including from Canada and other countries, to participate in the opportunities emerging from India's opening up of the nuclear sector. He said the new framework provides room for foreign collaboration and investment along with greater domestic participation.

The Minister also referred to the RDI Fund, saying that the initiative announced by the Prime Minister has now moved into implementation. Such initiatives, he said, can help accelerate private-sector participation in strategic areas where industry has traditionally been hesitant to invest.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also referred to India's experience of using steel slag for road construction as an example of how collaboration between government and industry can turn what was earlier regarded as waste into a productive resource. He said the experience reinforces the principle that there is virtually no waste when materials are approached through innovation and appropriate technology.