Critical Minerals Stockpiling Policy Expected Within a Month: Why India Wants a Mineral Reserve
The Ministry of Mines said India's policy on stockpiling critical minerals is close to being finalised and is expected to be announced in about a month. Stockpiling means keeping a reserve stock that can be used if supplies are cut off.
The aim is to make sure strategic sectors such as defence, advanced electronics and aerospace do not run short of key minerals.
The government is also working on four dedicated critical mineral processing parks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, to speed up value addition for battery materials. The initial focus is on lithium and nickel.
India has already released a list of 30 critical minerals, based on the needs of sectors like defence, agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals and telecom.
Minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are key raw materials for clean energy technology: wind turbines, power grids, electric vehicles and batteries.
The remarks were made at the India Mines and Minerals Conclave 2026, organised by the industry body ASSOCHAM.
National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM): India's Plan to Secure Minerals of the Future
The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) is the Government of India's seven-year programme to make the country self-reliant in critical minerals: minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and rare earths that are vital for electric vehicles, solar panels, electronics and defence, but whose supply is risky. The mission covers the whole chain, from finding minerals underground to mining, processing, recycling and buying mines abroad. It was approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 January 2025 and is run by the Ministry of Mines.
The stockpiling policy that the Ministry of Mines expects to announce within a month will put into practice NCMM's plan for a National Critical Mineral Stockpile. The four processing parks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha come under the mission's processing-park part. Both steps aim to cut India's dependence on a few foreign suppliers for minerals needed in defence, electronics and clean energy.
Critical Minerals: Meaning, India's List and Global Supply Chains
Critical minerals are minerals that a country badly needs for its economy and security, but whose supply is at risk. They are used in mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, computer chips and defence equipment. A mineral is called "critical" when it is both very important and hard to get reliably, often because only a few countries mine or process it.
The government's list of over 30 critical minerals guides which minerals the new stockpiling policy will cover. Sectors like defence, aerospace and electronics need these minerals in steady supply, and the stockpile is meant to protect them from sudden supply cuts.
India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR)
Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) are large emergency stores of crude oil kept by the government. They are used only when normal oil supply is disrupted, for example by war, sanctions or a blocked shipping route. India stores this oil in huge underground rock caverns near its coast. India's SPR is the closest existing model for a critical mineral stockpile.
India already protects itself against oil supply shocks through the SPR. The planned critical mineral stockpile uses the same idea for minerals. It gives defence, electronics and battery makers a buffer if foreign supplies are suddenly cut.
- Critical minerals stockpiling policy: expected to be announced in about a month (as of 9 October 2026)
- Four critical mineral processing parks: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha; initial focus on lithium and nickel
- India's critical minerals list: 30 minerals (June 2023)
- NCMM: approved 29 January 2025; about ₹34,300 crore (₹16,300 crore government + ₹18,000 crore PSUs); 2024-25 to 2030-31
- NCMM stockpile target: at least 5 critical minerals
- India Mines and Minerals Conclave 2026: organised by ASSOCHAM
- India's SPR Phase I: 5.33 MMT (about 9.5 days of crude needs)