Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Critical Minerals, iCET
Why in the News?
- India and the U.S. aim to quickly conclude a bilateral agreement on Critical Minerals cooperation under the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) dialogue.
- Focus include on graphite, gallium, and germanium to strengthen supply chains.
What are Critical Minerals?
- Critical minerals are elements that are crucial to modern-day technologies and are at risk of supply chain disruptions.
- These minerals are mostly used in making electronic equipment such as mobile phones, computers, batteries, electric vehicles, and green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines.
- Many of these are required to meet the manufacturing needs of green technologies, high-tech equipment, aviation, and national defence.
List of critical minerals includes:
The centre has released a list of 30 critical minerals for India in 2023:
- Identified Minerals: Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, Platinum Group elements (PGE), Phosphorous, Potash, Rare Earth Elements (REE), Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
- Fertilizer Minerals: Two minerals critical for fertilizer production, phosphorous and potash, are also included in the above list.
Critical Mineral Blocks in India
- Distribution: There are 20 blocks spread across eight states, including Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
- Types of Licenses: Four blocks are for a Mining License (ML), allowing immediate mining post-clearance. The remaining 16 blocks are for a Composite License (CL), permitting further exploration before potentially converting to an ML.
- Approvals Required: Licensees must obtain various approvals, including forest clearance and environmental clearance.
- Forest Land: Approximately 17% of the total concession area, or 1,234 hectares, is forest land.
India’s Critical Mineral Imports
Country-wise dependence:
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India’s Strategic Mineral Initiatives
- Amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 support expanded exploration.
- Establishment of Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) with equity from National Aluminium Company Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd, and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd for global mineral asset acquisition.
International Collaborations and Partnerships
- India joined the U.S.-led mineral security partnership to secure critical mineral supply chains.
- Creation of an India-U.S. advanced materials research forum to foster collaboration in universities, laboratories, and private sectors.
- Bilateral technology collaboration on neodymium-iron-boron and studies on minerals like lithium, titanium, gallium, and vanadium.
Back2Basics: Indo-US Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (iCET)
| Details | |
| Initiation | Announced in May 2022, officially launched in January 2023 |
| Management | Overseen by the National Security Councils of India and the US |
| Objectives | Enhance bilateral cooperation in critical and emerging technologies |
| Focus Areas of the Initiative |
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| Key Achievements |
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| Upcoming Initiatives |
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PYQ:[2019] With reference to the management of minor minerals in India, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 3 (b) 2 and 3 (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
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