{"id":7700,"date":"2025-07-06T18:45:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T00:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vpzajoti4c.onrocket.site\/news\/indias-rare-earth-awakening-cii-chief-calls-for-public-private-pact-to-break-mineral-dependency\/"},"modified":"2025-07-07T08:36:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T14:36:54","slug":"indias-rare-earth-awakening-cii-chief-calls-for-public-private-pact-to-break-mineral-dependency","status":"publish","type":"news-archive","link":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/indias-rare-earth-awakening-cii-chief-calls-for-public-private-pact-to-break-mineral-dependency\/","title":{"rendered":"India&#8217;s Rare Earth Awakening: CII Chief Calls for Public-Private Pact to Break Mineral Dependency"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CII President calls for comprehensive long-term policy to address India's rare earth and critical mineral vulnerabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strategic public-private collaboration identified as key to overcoming technological and supply chain challenges<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automotive and EV sectors are highlighted as critically exposed to current mineral supply chain fragilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<p><em>In an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/companies\/news\/industrygovernment-collaboration-key-to-solving-rare-minerals-dependencies-cii-president-11751784382214.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">Mint<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a>, <\/em><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cii.in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\"><em>Rajiv Memani, President of the Confederation of Indian Industry<\/em><span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a><em>\u00a0(CII)<\/em>,<em>\u00a0urged a strategic industry-government alliance to address India\u2019s growing vulnerabilities in rare earth and critical minerals<\/em><\/span><em>. Echoing lessons from India\u2019s semiconductor turnaround, Memani emphasized there is \u201cno short-term fix\u201d for rare mineral dependency and called for a comprehensive, long-term industrial policy\u2014backed by targeted financing, regulatory reform, and international partnerships.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He identified the automotive sector as particularly exposed, with supply chain fragility threatening India\u2019s EV ambitions. Memani acknowledged that establishing domestic <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/?post_type=acf-post-type&amp;p=38\" title=\"News\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"45521\">rare earth<\/a> value chains faces steep hurdles, including high production costs, regulatory restrictions (especially concerning radioactive elements), and lack of scale. Yet he pointed to the success of India\u2019s semiconductor PLI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.orfonline.org\/expert-speak\/evaluating-india-s-pli-scheme-for-semiconductors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">Production Linked Incentive<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a>) scheme as proof that well-orchestrated public-private collaboration can overcome even entrenched technological deficits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">REEx Analysis:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Memani\u2019s message is both pragmatic and strategically sound. His candid recognition of India\u2019s limited short-term leverage in rare earths sets this commentary apart from overly optimistic political narratives. Importantly, his call for a \u201cproduct-led strategy\u201d\u2014backward integrating from end-use sectors like the automotive industry\u2014mirrors the successful policy sequencing used in Taiwan, South Korea, and, more recently, India\u2019s own chip sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Memani\u2019s clear-eyed realism about timelines makes sense. Memani\u2019s assertion that rare earth security is a \u201cseven- to ten-year\u201d national project is accurate. Japan\u2019s 40% value-add ceiling after a decade of effort proves the long climb ahead. \u00a0An emphasis on regulatory reform is real.\u00a0 His mention of bottlenecks with India\u2019s Department of Atomic Energy is critical. Monazite-rich sands in India\u2019s coastal regions are rich in REEs like cerium and neodymium\u2014but remain legally restricted due to thorium content. Ultimately, integration with the private sector is essential. Unlike Western strategies that focus solely on government subsidies, Memani\u2019s model envisions the Indian industry co-leading in R&amp;D, exploration, and refining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are there any speculative elements or assumptions? While India\u2019s semiconductor PLI scheme has promise, actual fabrication remains in the early stages. Rare earths involve far more complex and riskier extraction and refining cycles\u2014particularly with radioactive byproducts. So, any comparison is questionable.\u00a0 Plus, where\u2019s the midstream?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The article lacks discussion on intermediate steps like REE separation, magnet manufacturing, and alloy processing. Without these, upstream mining won\u2019t create end-use independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rajiv Memani\u2019s remarks mark a turning point in India\u2019s rare earth policy conversation\u2014shifting it from passive vulnerability to proactive strategy. While execution will be complex, his framework offers a credible blueprint: start with product-linked need, map mineral inputs, deregulate domestic potential, and co-invest with trusted global partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Rare Earth Exchanges\u2122 has repeatedly argued, nations that move first to align <em>mineral strategy with manufacturing strategy<\/em> will dominate the 21st-century industrial order. <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/can-rajasthans-waste-become-indias-strategic-wealth\/\" title=\"Can Rajasthan\u2019s Waste Become India\u2019s Strategic Wealth?\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"85235\">India<\/a> has the chance to be one of them\u2014but only if it starts now.<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CII President Rajiv Memani advocates strategic industry-government collaboration to solve India&#8217;s critical mineral dependency challenge over 7-10 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"news-type":[126,132,122],"organization":[],"regions":[319,327],"class_list":["post-7700","news-archive","type-news-archive","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","news-type-automotive-industry","news-type-industrial-metals","news-type-ree-news","regions-south-korea","regions-southeast-asia"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive\/7700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-archive"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7700"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive\/7700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67330,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive\/7700\/revisions\/67330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=7700"},{"taxonomy":"organization","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/organization?post=7700"},{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=7700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}