Critical minerals for critical times

National security requires that we review supply chains for critical-mineral industries to deal with obstacles to international trade

The Rs 2,000-crore funding from PM CARES should boost In­dia’s manufacture of ventila­tors — essential for hospitals treating patients of Covid-19. We must therefore note that Chinese manufacturers have identified permanent magnets, based on rare earths, as a key element in the supply chain for making ventilators — as well as MRI-and CT-scanning devices. China dominates the global supply of rare ea­rths, which are also essential for missile guidance systems, wind energy turbines, and da­ily use devices like smartphones. The lockdown in China led to a contraction in its rare earth industry, and exports, in the first quarter of the