NITI Aayog, TEXMiN Partner to Advance India's Critical Minerals Mission

New Delhi, Nov 4 (KNN) NITI Aayog and TEXMiN (Technology Translation Research Park), an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, have signed a Joint Statement of Intent (SoI) to strengthen collaboration in India's critical and strategic minerals sector.

In a release, NITI Aayog said the partnership aims to develop indigenous technological capabilities, promote research and innovation, and strengthen critical mineral value chains to make them more resilient and sustainable. The initiative is aligned with the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) and the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.

Focus on Integrated Critical Mineral Value Chains

Addressing the symposium, NITI Aayog Member Gobardhan Das highlighted the strategic importance of critical minerals in strengthening national security, technological self-reliance and India's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

He emphasised the need to move beyond a mine-centric approach and develop an integrated value chain covering exploration, processing, refining, advanced materials and recycling. He also called for stronger collaboration between research institutions and industry to develop indigenous technologies.

Das noted the potential to recover critical minerals from secondary resources, including coal fly ash, red mud, mine tailings and electronic waste. He stressed the importance of translating research outcomes into commercially viable technologies while ensuring sustainable resource utilisation.

Four Key Areas of Collaboration

The Joint SoI provides for cooperation in areas such as collaborative research and technology development, technical and strategic studies, policy and institutional support, as well as capacity building and knowledge exchange.

The partnership is expected to strengthen domestic technological capabilities, accelerate technology translation and improve coordination among government institutions, academia, research organisations and industry.

The symposium brought together policymakers, researchers, technology developers and industry representatives to discuss ways to strengthen India's critical minerals and rare earths ecosystem.

The collaboration is expected to support India's efforts to develop resilient critical-mineral supply chains, reduce technological dependencies, and advance self-reliance in strategic mineral resources.

(KNN Bureau)