In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, the Minister of Coal and Mines, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, stated that Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of DAE, is carrying out exploration and augmentation of minerals of rare earth group elements along the coastal and inland placer sands as well as in hard rock terrains in several potential geological domains of the country.

As on 28.01.2026, the rare earth minerals resources estimated by AMD include:

(i) 136 deposits of Beach Sand Minerals containing 13.15 million tonnes (Mt) of monazite (a mineral of Thorium and Rare Earths) occurring in the coastal beach, teri / red sands and inland alluvium in parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand and West Bengal. These deposits contain approximately 7.23 Mt in-situ Rare Earth Oxide (eq.) resources.

(ii) Three (03) deposits of rare-earth minerals in hard rocks in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat containing 1.29 Mt in-situ Rare Earth Oxide (eq.) resources.

The rare earth (RE) bearing ore, Monazite is a prescribed substance due to its association with radioactive elements viz. uranium & thorium and therefore mining, processing and refining is kept under Government control. India is one among three to four countries globally having capacity and capability in terms of Plant, technology and skilled work force in RE sector.

Indian resources are significantly lean with respect to grade and tied with radioactive elements making the extraction long, complex and expensive. Further Indian resource predominantly contain light rare earth elements.

While India has adequate rare-earth resources and capabilities for extraction and refining, commercial mining and processing of these minerals has been limited due to lack of adequate technology, absence of mid-stream and downstream industries in the REE value chain.

Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 [MMDR Act, 1957] has been amended through the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 to increase exploration and mining of critical minerals. The Central Government has been empowered to auction blocks for 24 critical and strategic minerals listed in the Part-D of the First Schedule to the said Act. Further, a new mining concession called Exploration Licence has been introduced. Consequently, the Ministry of Mines has successfully auctioned 46 critical mineral blocks, including rare earth elements, in six tranches. Additionally, Central Government has also successfully auctioned 7 blocks of Exploration License, which includes two blocks of REE.

The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) on 29 January, 2025 to secure a long-term sustainable supply of critical minerals (including REs) and strengthen India’s critical mineral value chain encompassing all stages from mineral exploration and mining to beneficiation, processing, and recovery from end-of-life products.

To facilitate timely environment and forest clearances for critical mineral projects, regulatory and procedural reforms have been undertaken, which include permitting compensatory afforestation over degraded forest land, exemption of critical mineral mining projects from requirement of public hearing, etc.

In November 2025, the Union Cabinet has approved “Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets” with a financial outlay of Rs.7280 crore to establish 6,000 Metric Tons per Annum (MTPA) of integrated Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) manufacturing in India, thereby enhancing self-reliance and positioning India as a key player in the global REPM market.

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Prajith Kumar

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