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Amid Chinese curbs, India rushes to boost rare earth mineral production

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Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo holding up a newly signed agreement on critical minerals in Washington at the 6th Commercial Dialogue on Oct 3, 2024.

PHOTO: PIYUSH GOYAL/X

Summary

• Chinas rare earth export curbs have severely impacted Indias automobile and electronics sectors.
• India has launched a 343 billion rupee (S$200 million) National Critical Mineral Mission to boost domestic rare earth mining and processing.
• India has sought overseas partnerships and aims to streamline domestic mining to secure rare earth mineral resources.

AI generated

NEW DELHI - India is expediting efforts to boost mining activity at home and overseas to diversify supply chains amid Chinese curbs on the export of rare earth minerals, which are already starting to pinch India’s automobile and electronics sectors.

Still, reducing its dependence on China is not going to be quick or easy, experts said.