Mine over matter

Critical-mineral policy must respond to industry needs

The government has offered manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs), mobile phones, solar panels, and other renewable-energy equipment significant incentives and subsidies. Critical to the operations of such manufacturers is an uninterrupted and robust supply chain of critical minerals that power these industries — lithium, nickel, cobalt, tungsten and graphite, cadmium, chromium, and so on. Building domestic sources of these minerals, then, is essential not only to ensure that climate-change goals are met but that India can build a degree of security and competitive advantage in manufacturing these products of the future. Set against these objectives, which involve spending substantial amounts of taxpayer money, the government's policy to maximise critical-mineral mining and production has fallen short.