The Union Cabinet on July 12 approved amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act to allow commercial mining of lithium and five more minerals.
- These minerals – lithium, beryllium, titanium, niobium, tantalum and zirconium – have uses in the spacetech industry, electronics, communications and will also help in India’s energy transition.
- With this amendment, private players have been allowed to mine lithium and other five critical minerals including titanium, beryllium, zirconium, niobium and tantalum.
- The proposed amendments will remove these six minerals from the Atomic Minerals list.
- They also empower the central government to auction mineral concessions and introduce exploration licences.
- Recently, the Union Ministry of Mines, has released a list of thirty critical minerals that are strategic to the country’s economic development and national security.
