Government's National Critical Mineral Mission Lauded by ICEA
India's India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) has thrown its support behind the government's National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), advocating for strategic interventions that will bolster the nation's electronics and semiconductor industries. The NCMM is seen as a crucial step towards building a resilient, competitive, and future-ready critical minerals ecosystem, essential for India's technological and industrial sovereignty.
The NCMM aims to provide reliable access to essential critical minerals such as rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and tantalum, which are vital components for semiconductors, electronics, electric vehicles, and defence technologies. ICEA's strategic interventions focus on developing local extraction and processing infrastructure, integrating mineral sourcing with advanced manufacturing processes, deepening international partnerships, and reviewing policies to enhance exploration, processing, and supply chain resilience.
ICEA's endorsement of the NCMM marks a turning point in India's approach to critical minerals, which underpin the nation’s technological resilience and competitiveness in electronics and semiconductors. By reducing vulnerability to global supply disruptions and supporting ambitious industrial growth targets, the NCMM aims to make India a secure and competitive hub in this mineral-intensive sector.
The NCMM is a long-term strategic necessity for India, as it targets USD 500 billion in electronics production by FY31 and beyond. Critical minerals are essential for various industries, including semiconductors, smartphones, servers, telecom equipment, medical electronics, batteries, and clean energy. However, global supply chains for these minerals are vulnerable due to geopolitical concentration and strategic trade controls.
ICEA believes that this is the moment for decisive leadership, deep collaboration, and strategic clarity in the NCMM. The NCMM stems from the announcement by the Hon'ble Union Finance Minister in the Union Budget 2024-25 and signals the beginning of a structured, mission-mode approach to industrial policy focused on advanced and strategic technologies.
India holds 6% of the global rare earth reserves and has emerging prospects in lithium, graphite, and other strategic minerals. These new sectors require reliable supplies of various critical minerals like rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, tungsten, tantalum, and gallium. ICEA is fully aligned with the government's vision for the NCMM and stands committed to partnering with the government and engaging deeply with the policy to shape an ecosystem that is scalable, future-ready, and globally trusted.
The NCMM has been formally launched by the Government of India and the Ministry of Mines. The objective is to identify strategic interventions across the value chain spanning exploration, processing, technology development, and international cooperation. New frontier sectors such as semiconductors, advanced packaging, electric vehicles, digital infrastructure, and defence electronics are poised for scale in India, making the NCMM a vital initiative for the nation's economic growth and technological advancement.
The NCMM's strategic interventions, as supported by ICEA, target developing local extraction and processing infrastructure for critical minerals like rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and tantalum, crucial components in various industries such as finance (electronic payments, banking systems), business (manufacturing of electronics), technology (semiconductors, clean energy), and transportation (electric vehicles).
By focusing on increasing India's domestic production and supply chain resilience, the NCMM aims to make India a competitive, secure hub in the fast-evolving critical mineral, technology, electronics, and business sectors, bolstering the nation's tech and industrial sovereignty.
