Breaking the minerals monopoly

India can draw inspiration from Indonesia's success in nickel to lead globally in critical minerals

In the 21st century, critical minerals and rare earths have taken centre stage, becoming crucial for electronics, renewable energy, electric vehicles, defence, aerospace, and medical devices. For instance, the International Renewable Energy Agency’s pathway to restrict global temperature rise to 1.5°C posits that renewables will constitute 91 per cent of the energy mix by 2050, requiring massive quantities of minerals like silicon, silver, lithium, and rare earths such as neodymium and dysprosium. The surging demand and deepening reliance have classified these and other minerals like graphite, manganese, cobalt and nickel as “critical”, highlighting their pivotal role in