Topics

India-Specific Strategic Focus

• India’s Critical and Strategic Minerals Strategy: Policy, Progress, and Path Ahead
• National Mineral Policy, recent auctions, and exploration priorities.
• Unlocking India's Geological Potential for Critical and Strategic Minerals
• Mapping resources: lithium in Jammu & Kashmir, rare earths in Andhra Pradesh, etc.
• India’s Role in Global Critical and Strategic Mineral Supply Chains
• Aligning with allies (US, Australia, Japan), and reducing import dependency on China.

Industry & Clean Energy Integration

• Critical Minerals for India’s Renewable Energy and EV Push
• Demand for lithium, cobalt, nickel, REEs for batteries, wind, and solar.
• Domestic Battery Manufacturing and the Role of Mineral Security
• PLI schemes, Giga factory development, and mineral sourcing.
• Make in India for Critical Mineral-Based Technologies
• Encouraging downstream industries for value addition.

Exploration, Mining, Processing and Characterization

• Mining Reforms to Accelerate Exploration and Production
• Incentives, private sector participation, and fast-track clearances.
• Building Processing & Refining Capabilities in India
• Overcoming gaps in separation, purification, and metallurgy.
• Public-Private Partnerships for Exploration and R&D
• Role of Geological Survey of India (GSI), MECL, and startups.

Sustainability & Circular Economy

• Sustainable Mining and Environmental Stewardship in India
• Water use, emissions, tailings, and biodiversity considerations.
• Recycling of Critical Minerals from E-Waste and Batteries
• Urban mining potential and policy frameworks for circularity.
• Green Minerals: Aligning Critical Mineral Development with India’s Net Zero Goals

Geopolitics & Global Cooperation

• Geopolitical Risks and Supply Chain Diversification for India
• China's dominance, shipping chokepoints, and global competition.
• Strategic Stockpiling of Critical Minerals in India
• Lessons from oil reserves and potential for a national stockpile strategy.

Community, Regulation & ESG

• Ensuring Community Consent and Benefit Sharing in Mining Projects
• Best practices in India’s tribal and rural regions.
• Strengthening ESG Frameworks for Critical Mineral Development
• Compliance, transparency, and responsible sourcing.

Research, Innovation & Skills

• R&D for Advanced Materials and Substitution Technologies in India
• CSIR, IITs, DRDO's role in material innovation.
• Skilling the Workforce for India’s Critical and Strategic Minerals Economy
• New jobs in mining, refining, battery tech, and research.
• Data Infrastructure and AI for Mineral Exploration in India
• Leveraging big data, geospatial tools, and machine learning.