Lok Sabha Question No. 4345 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Implementation of the NCMM
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4345

ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NCMM

4345. SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector and if so, the details of the roadmap thereof;
- (b)  the  number of exploration projects along with details conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) so far under the NCMM, State and district-wise;
- (c) the numbers and details of the exploration and acquisition of overseas mineral assets by Public Sector Undertakings and mineral processing parks established so far; and
- (d) the details of steps taken by the Government to secure alternative supply chains of rare earth elements to reduce dependency on imports?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL AND MINES (SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY)

- (a): The Union Cabinet has approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) on 29 January,  2025.  The  NCMM  aims  to  secure  a  long-term  sustainable  supply  of  critical minerals and strengthen India's critical mineral value chains encompassing all stages from mineral exploration and mining to beneficiation, processing, and recovery from endof-life products.

The objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) are:

- i)   To  secure  India's  critical  mineral  supply  chain  by  ensuring  mineral  availability  from domestic and foreign sources.
2. ii) Strengthening the critical mineral value chains by enhancing technological, regulatory, and financial ecosystems to foster innovation, skill development, and global competitiveness in mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, and recycling.

The components of the NCMM are:

- i)    Increasing Domestic Critical Minerals Production
2. ii)   Acquisition of Critical Mineral Assets Abroad
3. iii)  Recycling of Critical Minerals
4. iv)  Trade and Markets
- v)   Scientific Research & Technological Advancement for Critical Minerals
6. vi)  Human Resource Development
7. vii) Developing Effective Funding, Financing and Fiscal Incentives

(b): Geological Survey of India (GSI) has intensified exploration of critical minerals. GSI completed execution of 195 mineral exploration projects on various critical and strategic minerals in 2024-25 (Annexure-I). During 2025-26, GSI took up 230 projects for various critical and strategic minerals across the country (Annexure-II).

(c): Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), under the aegis of the Ministry of Mines, has signed  an  Exploration  and  Development  Agreement  with  CAMYEN,  a  state-owned enterprise of Catamarca province of Argentina, for exploration and mining of five Lithium Brine Blocks in Argentina covering an area of 15703 Ha.

Under  NCMM,  ₹500  crore  has  been  earmarked  to  support  domestic  critical  mineral processing capabilities by developing mineral processing parks using existing infrastructure  to  ensure  the  processing  of  critical  minerals  within  the  country  and promoting local value addition.

(d): Steps taken by the Government to secure alternative supply chains of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and other critical minerals, inter-alia include:

-  The  Ministry  of  Mines  has  successfully  auctioned  46  critical  mineral  blocks, including  7  blocks  of  rare  earth  elements  (REEs).  Additionally,  the  Central Government  has  also  successfully  auctioned  7  blocks  of  Exploration  License, which include two blocks of REEs.
-  The Government has recognized nine premier institutes as Centres of Excellence (CoEs)  under  the  NCMM  to  carry  out  Research  &  Development  (R&D)  for strengthening domestic capabilities in the critical mineral value chain.
-  The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹1,500 crore Incentive Scheme to promote critical mineral recycling (including REEs) under NCMM. The Scheme Guidelines were issued and the Scheme was launched on 02.10.2025.
-  Guidelines for funding pilot projects for the recovery of critical minerals (including REEs) from overburden/ tailings/ fly ash/ red mud, etc were issued on 14.11.2025.
-  Government has eliminated customs duties on 25 minerals and reduced Basic Customs Duties (BCD) on two minerals during Budget 2024-25. During Budget 2025-26,  Government  of  India  exempted  cobalt  powder  and  waste,  scrap  of lithium-ion batteries, led, zinc, and 12 other critical minerals from Basic Customs Duty.  Further, the Union Budget 2026-27 has mentioned exemption from basic

customs duty on import of capital goods required for processing of critical minerals in India.In addition, the duty on imports of monazite and rare earth metals has been reduced to nil.

-  Union Cabinet, in November 2025, approved the 'Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets' with a financial outlay of Rs. 7280 crore to establish 6,000 Metric Tons per Annum (MTPA) of integrated Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) manufacturing capacity in India, thereby enhancing self-reliance and positioning India as a key player in the global REPM market.
-  To complement the REPM Scheme, the Union Budget 2026-27 has announced the creation of dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and  Tamil  Nadu  to  focus  on  mining,  processing,  research  and  manufacturing, leveraging the REEs available in these states.

*****

Annexure-I State-wise and district-wise list of projects on critical and strategic minerals of

## GSI during 2024-25

|   Sl. No | State             | Districts                                                                                                                                                          |   Total No. projects | Commodity                                                                                              |
|----------|-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh    | Eluru, Vizianagaram and Alluri Sitaramraju, Y.S.R Kadapa, Nandyal and Ananthapuramu, Nellore, Kurnool, Annamayya, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam                  |                    8 | Graphite, Graphite- Manganese, Lithium, REE, REE- RM, Phosphorite, Tin- Tungsten-RM                    |
|        2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang                                                                                                                           |                    4 | Vanadium- Graphite, Phosphorite, Vanadium- Graphite                                                    |
|        3 | Assam             | Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Kokrajhar                                                                                                               |                    4 | REE, REE-RM                                                                                            |
|        4 | Bihar             | Gaya and Chatra, Jamui, Banka, Jamui and Banka, Nawada                                                                                                             |                    7 | REE, REE-RM, Lithium- Niobium- Tantalum-REE-RM                                                         |
|        5 | Chhattisgarh      | Gaurella-Pendra-Murmur and Korba, Korba and Raigarh, Korba, Jashpur, Surguja, Mahasamund, Baloda Bazar, Balod, Raigarh and Jashpur, Sarguja and Jashpur, Balrampur |                   19 | Phosphorite, Glauconite, Lithium, REE, Niobium- tantalum- REE- lithium- RM, RM                         |
|        6 | Gujarat           | Chhota Udepur, Kachchh, Dahod                                                                                                                                      |                    3 | Phosphorite, Graphite, REE-RM                                                                          |
|        7 | Himachal Pradesh  | Sirmaur, Mandi, Kullu                                                                                                                                              |                    5 | Vanadium                                                                                               |
|        8 | Jharkhand         | Palamu,Garwah, Sahibganj, Giridih, Bokaro and Ramgarh, Koderma and Giridih, Koderma, Deoghar, East Singhbhum, Ranchi, Dumka                                        |                   19 | REE, REE-RM, REE-RM, Graphite- Vanadium, Potash- Phosphorite, Titanium- Vanadium- Phosphorite, Lithium |
|        9 | Karnataka         | Hassan, Raichur, Mysore, Mandya, Mandya and Hassan, Koppal, Raichur, Chamrajnagar, Chitradurga, Shimoga                                                            |                   12 | PGE, Vanadium- Nickel- PGE, Nickel- Chromium- PGE, REE, REE- RM, Tin, Lithium- Tungsten,               |

|    |                |                                                                                                                                                                                                             |    | Molybdenum, Lithium-RM                                                                             |
|----|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10 | Kerala         | Wayanad, Palakkad, Thrissur                                                                                                                                                                                 |  3 | PGE-Nickel, REE- Molybdenum- RM, REE-RM                                                            |
| 11 | Madhya Pradesh | Shahdol, Umaria and Shahdol, Shivpuri and Sheopur, Katni, Nagpur and Seoni, Chhatarpur                                                                                                                      |  8 | REE, Glauconite, REE-RM, Vanadium- Titanium- REE, Nickel-Chromium, RM-REE                          |
| 12 | Maharashtra    | Bhandara, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg                                                                                                                                  |  8 | REE, REE-RM, Vanadium                                                                              |
| 13 | Meghalaya      | West Khasi Hill, South West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and Kamrup, Ri-Bhoi                                                                                                                                        |  4 | Titanium- Vanadium-REE, REE-Lithium, REE- Tungsten                                                 |
| 14 | Nagaland       | Tseminyu                                                                                                                                                                                                    |  1 | Phosphorite                                                                                        |
| 15 | Odisha         | Nayagarh, Angul, Kalahandi, Nuapara, Sambalpur and Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal, Jajpur, Angul, Mayurbhanj                                                                    | 16 | REE-RM-PGE, REE-RM, Lithium- RM, Vanadium- Titanium, Graphite, REE, Nickel- PGE, Nickel            |
| 16 | Rajasthan      | Udaipur and Dungarpur, Ajmer and Jaipur, Sikar, Bikaner, Hanumangarh, Pali, Dungarpur, Jalore, Tonk, Ajmer and Pali, Sirohi, Pali and Sirohi, Nagaur and Ajmer, Ajmer, Barmer, Banswara, Barmer and Jodhpur | 34 | REE-RM, Tungsten-Lithium, Tin- Lithium- RM, Graphite, Potash, REE, REE-RM, Nickel-Chromium- Cobalt |
| 17 | Tamil Nadu     | Dharmapuri, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, Dindigul-Karur and Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Virudhunagar, Dharmapuri- Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Erode                                                              |  8 | Molybdenum, REE, REE-RM, Graphite, REE-Tungsten                                                    |
| 18 | Telangana      | Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Mahabubnagar and Suryapet, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Rangareddy, Nalgonda and Suryapet, Rajanna Sircilla and Kamareddi                                                                  |  6 | Lithium-REE-RM, REE-RM                                                                             |
| 19 | Tripura        | Unakoti                                                                                                                                                                                                     |  1 | REE                                                                                                |
| 20 | Uttar Pradesh  | Banda, Lalitpur and Sagar, Sonbhadra, Lalitpur & Sagar                                                                                                                                                      |  4 | Nickel, Tungsten, Potash                                                                           |

| 21 Uttarakhand     | Almora and Champawat, Pauri and Chamoli, Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal, Almora   |   4 | Vanadium, REE- RM, Phosphorite- RM                                                    |
|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22 West Bengal     | Bankura, Darjeeling, Purulia, Kalimpong, Purulia& Bankura                     |  11 | Niobium-RM, REE- RM, Nickel, Tin, REE, Nickel- Chromium- PGE, Graphite, PGE- Vanadium |
| 23 Jammu & Kashmir | Reasi, Jammu-Ramban-Reasi-Rajoury and Udhampur                                |   4 | Lithium, Lithium- Vanadium- RM- REE                                                   |
| 24 Ladakh          | Leh                                                                           |   2 | PGE- Gold- Nickel- Chromium- Cobalt, Lithium-Rubidium, Caesium                        |
| Total              |                                                                               | 195 |                                                                                       |

## Annexure-II

## State-wise and district-wise list of projects on critical and strategic minerals of GSI under execution during 2025-26

|   Sl. No | State             | District                                                                                                                                                                              |   Total No. projects | Commodity                                            |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh    | Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalli, Prakasam, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Vizianagaram, Palnadu and Prakasam, Anantapur, SPSR Nellore, Bapatla and Palnadu, East Godavari, Sri Satya Sai |                   11 | Graphite, Nickel, Niobium, Phosphorite, REE          |
|        2 | Arunachal Pradesh | West Kameng, Upper Subansiri, Lower Dibang valley, Lower Subansiri                                                                                                                    |                    5 | Tungsten, Vanadium, Nickel                           |
|        3 | Assam             | Kamrup and Ri Bhoi, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong,                                                                                                                                |                    4 | REE-RM                                               |
|        4 | Bihar             | Gaya, Jamui, Nawada                                                                                                                                                                   |                    7 | REE, RM                                              |
|        5 | Chhattisgarh      | Balod, Surguja, Korba, Surguja and Raigarh,Balrampur-Ramanujganj, Balrampur- Ramanujganj and Sonbhadra, Korea,Mahasamund and Bargarh,                                                 |                   19 | Glauconite, Graphite, Lithium, Phosphorite, REE      |
|        6 | Goa               | North Goa                                                                                                                                                                             |                    1 | CMAP                                                 |
|        7 | Gujarat           | Arvalli, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal, Kachchh, Botad, Dahod                                                                                                                             |                    7 | Glauconite, Graphite, Nickel, Niobium, PGE, REE      |
|        8 | Himachal Pradesh  | Sirmaur                                                                                                                                                                               |                    2 | Vanadium                                             |
|        9 | Jammu & Kashmir   | Reasi                                                                                                                                                                                 |                    1 | Lithium                                              |
|       10 | Jharkhand         | Lohardaga, Ranchi, Giridih, Deoghar and Dumka, Palamu, Sahibganj, Latehar, Koderma and Giridih,                                                                                       |                   18 | Graphite, Lithium, REE, Titanium                     |
|       11 | Karnataka         | Kodagu,Koppal, Dakshina Kannada and Kasargod, Belgavi, Mandya, Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, Tumkur, Yadgir, Bidar, Ramnagara, Bagalkot and Raichur                                        |                   13 | Nickel, PGE, REE, Tantalum, Tungsten, Vanadium, CMAP |
|       12 | Kerala            | Kasargod, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram                                                                                                                                                  |                    4 | Titanium, REE, Graphite, CMAP                        |

| 13                              | Ladakh                          | Leh                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |   3 | PGE, Nickel, Tungsten                                                                               |
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14                              | Madhya Pradesh                  | Seoni,Damoh and Chhatarpur, Mandla, Sagar and Lalitpur, Shahdol and Umaria, Mandla and Seoni, Jhabua-Alirajpur and Dhar, Katni                                                                                                                                                                                            |   9 | Glauconite, REE, Vanadium, RMT, CMAP                                                                |
| 15                              | Maharashtra                     | Nagpur, Nanded, Chandrapur, Nanded and Yavatmal, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |  15 | Molybdenum, Nickel, PGE, REE, RM, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, CMAP                                |
| 16                              | Manipur                         | Kamjong                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |   3 | Nickel, CMAP                                                                                        |
| 17                              | Meghalaya                       | East Garo Hills, West and South West Khasi Hills, North Garo Hills, East Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, South Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills                                                                                                                                         |   7 | REE, Tungsten                                                                                       |
| 18                              | Nagaland                        | Phek and Ukhrul, Meluri                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |   1 | CMAP                                                                                                |
| 19                              | Odisha                          | Nayagarh, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Balangir, Jajpur, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar, Rayagada, Anugul and Dhenkanal, Kandhamal- Ganjam and Nayagarh                                                                                                                                                 |  15 | Graphite, Nickel, REE, Titanium, RMT, CMAP                                                          |
| 20                              | Punjab                          | Fazilka                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |   2 | Potash                                                                                              |
| 21                              | Rajasthan                       | Jalore, Sirohi, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Udaipur, Balotra, Jodhpur, Bhilwara and Bundi, Barmer, Pali, Rajsamand, Ajmer,Hanumangarh, Banswara, Jaisalmer and Barmer, Jhalawar, Sikar and Jhunjhunu, Ajmer-Pali and Nagaur, Udaipur- Dungarpur- Banswara-Dahod and Jhabua, Ajmer- Rajsamand and Bhilwara,Churu, Didwana- Kuchaman, |  40 | Cobalt, Graphite, Nickel, REE, Lithium, Phosphorite, Potash, RM, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, RMT, CMAP |
| 22                              | Tamil Nadu                      | Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Kanniyakumari, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, Erode, Tiruppur, Salem, Dindugal and Coimbatore, Namakkal                                                                                                                                                                                             |   9 | Molybdenum, PGE, REE, RM, CMAP                                                                      |
| 23                              | Telangana                       | Mancherial, Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Mahabubabad                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |   4 | REE                                                                                                 |
| 24                              | Tripura                         | Sephaijala                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |   1 | REE                                                                                                 |
| 25                              | Uttar Pradesh                   | Sonbhadra, Hamirpur-Mahoba and Chhatarpur, Banda, Lalitpur                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |   5 | Zirconium, Tungsten, REE, RMT                                                                       |
| 26                              | Uttarakhand                     | Champawat, Almora, Tehri Garhwal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |   3 | Vanadium, Tin                                                                                       |
| 27 West Bengal Bankura, Purulia | 27 West Bengal Bankura, Purulia | 27 West Bengal Bankura, Purulia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |  10 | REE, RM                                                                                             |

| 28   | Offshore CM exploration   |   11 | Phosphorite, Polymetallic crust & nodule, placer and heavy minerals   |
|------|---------------------------|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|      | Total                     |  230 |                                                                       |