E-Paper
Coastal areas have rare earth element reserves which can be mined: Govt
Mines minister G Kishan Reddy gave the information in response to Bharatiya Janata Party member Sumitra Balmik (Madhya Pradesh) on the reserves of rare earth metals
There are approximately 7.23 million tonnes (MT) of in-situ rare earth elements oxide (REO) in 13.15 MT of monazite in coastal beach, teri red sand and inland alluvium in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, the mines ministry informed Rajya Sabha on Monday citing Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD). Mining is feasible for these resources as per the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), it added.
Mines minister G Kishan Reddy gave the information in response to Bharatiya Janata Party member Sumitra Balmik’s question on the reserves of rare earth metals and ores in the country and the feasibility of mining. Balmik asked whether the government was planning to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and startups in mining rare earth metals.
Reddy said that 1.29 MT of in-situ REO resources have been identified in hard rocks in Gujarat and Rajasthan. He added AMD, a constituent DAE unit, was carrying out exploration and augmentation of rare earth group elements along coastal, inland, and riverine placer sands, as well as in hard rock terrains in several potential geological domains. “...additionally, GSI [Geological Survey of India] has augmented 482.6 MT resources of REE ore at various cut-off grades in 34 exploration projects,” he said.
HT on July 16 reported the government is considering proposals under a separate head in its Parivesh 2.0 portal to fast-track forest and environmental clearances for critical or strategically important minerals, including rare earth ones.
There is a rush among countries to acquire and domestically mine critical minerals due to the global trade disruptions. In response to the US’s tariff imposition, China placed export restrictions on rare earth elements in April. The move squeezed the supply of crucial minerals and magnets to the West and other importers, including India. China effectively has a monopoly over critical rare earth mineral resources key for defence and clean energy technologies.
