Newsletter
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) has partnered with NMDC to explore and develop rare earth minerals in Gujarat.
What’s going on: the two state-run companies will study the potential of building a complete rare earth supply chain around GMDC’s Ambadungar deposit. That means everything from exploration and mining to processing and downstream applications.
Why it matters: rare earth elements are critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines, defence tech, semiconductors and advanced electronics.
Right now, much of the world depends heavily on China for rare earth supply, making domestic sources strategically important.
If the deposit proves commercially viable, the companies could develop mining operations and processing facilities in Gujarat.
Zoom out: India is stepping up efforts to secure critical minerals like lithium, cobalt and rare earths.
The government has launched initiatives to map mineral reserves, auction exploration blocks, and build local processing capacity.
State-run firms like NMDC, Coal India and Indian Rare Earths Ltd are increasingly being tasked with exploring strategic minerals both in India and overseas.
