India has accelerated efforts to scale up domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets and expand exploration of critical minerals such as lithium, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday (25 March).
Replying to a series of questions during the Question Hour in the ongoing Budget Session, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said the country aims to achieve a domestic production capacity of 5,000 tonnes of rare earth permanent magnets by 2030.
The minister said India’s current requirement of rare earth permanent magnets is about 4,000 tonnes, which is projected to increase to nearly 8,000 tonnes by 2030, underlining the need to expand domestic production capacity.
A pilot project on neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets has been launched, while a samarium-cobalt magnet plant at Visakhapatnam has been made operational with an initial production capacity of 500 tonnes per year.
According to the minister, this capacity will be scaled up to 2,000 tonnes in the next phase and further to 5,000 tonnes by 2030.
On lithium exploration, the minister said preliminary survey activities are underway in Degana in Rajasthan, with further exploration expected to begin soon.
Similar exploration efforts are also ongoing in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said lithium and rare earth elements are critical for sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, electronics, defence, aerospace and space applications, and will play a key role in supporting clean energy transition and emerging technologies.
Rare earth permanent magnets form a critical component in electric vehicles, wind energy systems, defence platforms and electronic devices, making domestic production strategically important for reducing import dependence and securing supply chains.
The government is working through a coordinated approach across ministries to fast-track exploration and development of critical minerals, he added.
The minister also said that recent policy measures, including provisions under the Atomic Energy (Amendment) framework, have opened up exploration of several critical minerals to private sector participation, while retaining safeguards for strategic resources.
Rare earth corridors have also been announced in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala to strengthen domestic processing and value addition capabilities.
India is focusing on reducing import dependence, strengthening domestic production, and building a resilient supply chain for critical minerals to support long-term industrial and technological growth.
