India Eyes Northeast As Strategic Hub For Critical Minerals Vital To Energy, Tech And Defence Sectors

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has identified several areas in the Northeast Region (NER) as a promising storehouse of critical minerals essential for India’s clean energy transition, digital infrastructure, and defence manufacturing, NDTV reported.

In a comprehensive report, the GSI detailed findings from surveys and explorations across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.

"India's growing demand for such resources underscores the need to identify and develop domestic sources, particularly in geologically promising regions such as the northeast... Through dedicated thematic studies, baseline surveys and project-based exploration, GSI has identified several zones enriched with these vital resources," the report stated.

The GSI identified rare earth elements (REE), graphite, vanadium, lithium, cobalt, and nickel among key discoveries.

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China’s April 2025 restrictions on REE exports, from which India imported over 80 per cent of its 540 tonnes of magnets in FY25, have intensified the urgency to develop alternative sources.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in June termed the development a "wake-up call" for India to find other supply chains for REE and reduce the country's reliance on China.

Arunachal Pradesh has emerged as a major source of natural flake graphite, with 17.89 million tonnes of high-grade resources found across West Siang, Papum Pare, and Lower Subansiri.

The state also hosts India’s first major vanadium resource, 13.79 million tonnes, and 2.15 million tonnes of REE-bearing rock.

In Assam and Meghalaya, GSI found REE concentrations ranging from 1,000 to over 5,000 ppm. “Nickel and cobalt, associated with ophiolite complexes in Nagaland and Manipur, are being targeted through detailed geochemical surveys and petrographic studies,” the GSI said.

Since the 2015 amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act, GSI has handed over 38 exploration blocks in the region, many already been auctioned. Arunachal Pradesh led with 11 blocks, Meghalaya with 19, Assam with seven, and Nagaland with one.

The Critical Mineral Assessment Programme, launched in 2024-25, aims to accelerate discovery across key geological formations in Manipur-Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Arunachal. “Reconnaissance mapping is also planned in unexplored terrains of Mizoram and Tripura,” the GSI said.

Despite difficult terrain and limited infrastructure, the NER’s strategic location, bordered by five countries, and its growing geological data make it a critical frontier for India’s mineral and energy security.

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