India to boost critical minerals, cut import dependence: Minister

India will scale up exploration of critical minerals, creating a startup-driven mining ecosystem and building strong domestic value chains to reduce import dependence, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust, Singh stated that the pace of exploration, particularly for lithium and other critical minerals, needs to align with emerging global demand and India’s strategic requirements.

“India must create a conducive environment for Indian companies and startups to enter the mining and critical minerals sector,” the Minister of State for Earth Sciences said.

He referred to the success of the biotechnology startup ecosystem and said that similar institutional support, targeted incentives, and handholding mechanisms can enable innovation in mining technologies and exploration methods.

Singh also called for strengthening the role of Notified Private Exploration Agencies, improving access to technology and finance, and ensuring faster project approvals so that private participation expands in a meaningful manner.

“Faster approvals, better procurement systems, and timely pre-exploration clearances are necessary to maintain momentum in exploration activities... Issues related to forest clearances continue to affect timelines in several projects and require coordinated efforts for resolution,” the minister said.