The Centre plans to bring out a new policy on stockpiling critical minerals within a month, the Indian Express reported on 9 October 2026.
“We are making very elaborate plans for the stockpiles,” said Keshav Chandra, Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, at a conclave organised by the industry body ASSOCHAM.
Quick Facts
| Policy timeline | Within a month |
| Funding committed | Rs 500 crore, 2024–25 to 2030–31 |
| Minerals in the stockpile | At least five |
| India’s import dependence | 100 percent for most critical minerals |
| China’s share of global processing | 90 percent |
What Critical Minerals Are
Copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential for wind turbines, power networks, electric vehicles and batteries.
A stockpile is a strategic reserve kept to ensure supply continues during a disruption.
Why India Is Worried
India has little processing capacity for these minerals and imports most of them. China controls about 90 percent of global processing and has used that position as leverage in trade disputes.
Trouble Abroad
The government’s overseas acquisition company, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), has struggled to expand in Australia, Vietnam, Mali and Chile, where proposed investments have stalled or fallen through.
Its progress so far is limited to Argentina, where it has acquired five lithium brine blocks in Catamarca province.
The Plan
The National Critical Minerals Mission has proposed a National Critical Mineral Stockpile Programme. The reserve is to hold at least five critical minerals.
Source: Indian Express (9 October 2026).
Featured image: Purified lithium, one of the critical minerals, sealed in a glass ampoule. Photo by AdvancedTinkering, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.