Recent Current Affairs related to Critical Minerals

Union Minister Manohar Lal has led the Indian delegation at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting held in Houston, USA, under the USA G20 Presidency.

The meeting focused on three key pillars: Energy Security & Affordable Baseload, Permitting & Regulatory Efficiency, and Critical Minerals & Resilient Supply Chains.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has launched the “Critical Minerals Innovation Hackathon 2026” (CMiH 2026) to promote innovation and technology-driven solutions for strengthening the critical minerals ecosystem of India.

The hackathon is organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), located in Nagpur, Maharashtra. JNARDDC is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Mines.

Varsha Ashok Aglawe has assumed charge as the 54th Director General (DG) of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), an organization under the Ministry of Mines (MoM).

She succeeds Asit Saha. It is to be noted that she is the first woman to lead the GSI.

Engineers India LTD (EIL) has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) in Odisha to collaborate on mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, and the value chain of critical and strategic minerals.

Additionally, EIL has signed an MoU with the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), formerly known as the Directorate General of Shipping, to provide engineering and technical consultancy services for the development and modernisation of maritime projects.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has visited France to strengthen the strategic partnership and promote economic cooperation between the two nations.

She co-chaired the France Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) at Aix-en-Provence with Roland Lescure, the Minister of France. They committed to using the EFD as a key platform for addressing issues, and agreed to explore conducting the next edition of the dialogue in 2027.

Both nations agreed to enhance cooperation on critical minerals to ensure resilient supply chains. During her visit, she also toured the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project at Cadarache to reinforce scientific and technological cooperation between India and France.

France hosted the 52nd G7 Summit under the theme "Working Together to Address Major International Challenges". PM Narendra Modi represented India at the summit.

Key outcomes of the summit included the adoption of the "Leaders' Declaration on Tackling Migrant Smuggling" to curb human trafficking and the unveiling of the "Declaration on Critical Minerals Supply Chains".

Japanese PM Takaichi introduced the "Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia)", which aims to provide nearly USD 10 billion in financial assistance to strengthen energy and critical minerals supply chains. It is to be noted that the 53rd edition of the G7 Summit is scheduled to be hosted by the USA.

NLC India has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, to develop technologies for the extraction of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and critical minerals from mining waste.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal visited Canada to facilitate an economic reset and accelerate free trade negotiations. He led the largest-ever Indian business delegation to the country to fast-track the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Both nations aim to finalize a balanced CEPA by the end of 2026. India and Canada have set a target to scale bilateral trade from $8.5 billion to $50 billion by 2030. During his visit, he held bilateral engagements in Ottawa, including a meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney.

India and the USA have signed a framework titled “Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths” to secure the supply, mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals and rare earth elements.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi. The US government is allocating over $30 billion through investments, loans, and public–private partnerships to strengthen critical mineral supply chains.

The 11th edition of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFMM) was held in New Delhi, chaired by Union Minister S Jaishankar.

Major initiatives launched include the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) and the ‘Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security’. India will host the second edition of the ‘Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission’.

Under the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative, over $6 million in funding has been allocated to support 6 international research projects.

Additionally, the ‘Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework’ aims to mobilize up to $20 billion in investments from public and private sectors.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing (CMM) Financing Partnership Facility during the 59th Annual Meeting (AM) of the Board of Governors in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The facility includes a Grant Window (CMM Trust Fund) for early stage project preparation, supported by initial contributions of $20 million from Japan and $1.6 million from the UK. Additionally, a Catalytic Finance Window has been established for co-financing, with Korea Eximbank and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE) signing initial memoranda worth $500 million as partners.

The Ministry of Mines has approved 58 companies as eligible participants under the “Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling” (IS-PCMR).

The scheme is a key initiative under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with a total financial outlay of ₹1,500 crore. The initiative has attracted pledged investments worth ₹5,000 crore and aims to achieve a recycling capacity of 850 Kilo Tonnes Per Annum (KTPA).