"Exploration Is Underway At More Than 1,200 Sites": PM Modi On Push For Self-Reliance In Critical Minerals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 79th Independence Day, underscored the strategic importance of critical minerals in powering India’s future across key sectors.

“Be it the energy sector, the industrial sector, the defence sector, or any field of technology, today, critical minerals play a very important role in technology. That is why we have launched the National Critical Minerals Mission. Exploration is underway at more than 1,200 sites, and we are moving ahead towards becoming self-reliant in critical minerals as well,” the Prime Minister said.

The National Critical Minerals Mission aims to secure essential resources that underpin advanced manufacturing, renewable energy technologies, and defence capabilities, reducing dependency on imports and strengthening India’s strategic autonomy.

The Prime Minister also hinted India’s broader energy goals.

“We know that we stay dependent on many countries to meet our energy needs. But to make a truly self-reliant India, we must attain energy independence. In the last 11 years, our solar energy capacity has increased by 30 times. We are constructing new dams, and India is now concentrating actively on nuclear energy. We have taken significant steps in this path, with 10 new nuclear reactors currently operational. By the time India celebrates 100 years of independence, we aim to increase our nuclear capacity significantly,” he said.

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