Pariksha SaathiNITI Aayog and TEXMiN sign a Joint Statement of Intent to strengthen India's critical minerals ecosystem
NITI Aayog and TEXMiN (Technology Translation Research Park), an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, have signed a Joint Statement of Intent (SoI) to strengthen collaboration in the critical and strategic minerals sector, NITI Aayog said on 3 November 2026. The collaboration aims to advance indigenous technological capabilities, promote research and innovation and support the development of resilient and sustainable critical mineral value chains in India, and aligns with the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). The SoI envisages cooperation in four key areas: collaborative research and technology development; technical and strategic studies; policy and institutional support; and capacity building and knowledge exchange. It was signed during the visit of Prof. Gobardhan Das, Member, NITI Aayog, to IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, where he inaugurated the National Symposium on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths (CMRE 2026) on 31 October 2026, organised as part of the 45th Annual National Conference of the Indian Council of Chemists. Addressing the symposium, Prof. Das described critical minerals as strategic enablers of national security, technological self-reliance and India's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, stressed the need to move beyond a mine-centric approach towards an integrated value chain encompassing exploration, processing, refining, advanced materials and recycling, and highlighted the potential of recovering critical minerals from secondary resources such as coal fly ash, red mud, mine tailings and electronic waste.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 29 January 2025 the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs 16,300 crore and expected investment of Rs 18,000 crore by PSUs, etc. - which the PMO's page headlines as an outlay of Rs 34,300 crore over seven years. The Finance Minister had announced the setting up of the Mission in the Union Budget for 2024-25 on 23 July 2024. The NCMM will encompass all stages of the value chain, including mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing and recovery from end-of-life products. It will intensify exploration within the country and in its offshore areas, aims to create a fast-track regulatory approval process for critical mineral mining projects, and will offer financial incentives for exploration and promote recovery of these minerals from overburden and tailings; it also aims to encourage Indian PSUs and private companies to acquire critical mineral assets abroad, proposes a stockpile of critical minerals within the country and a Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals, and includes provisions for mineral processing parks and support for recycling. The page adds that KABIL, a JV of the Ministry of Mines, has acquired an area of about 15703 ha in the Catamarca province of Argentina for exploration and mining of lithium.
Check yourself: on what date did the Union Cabinet approve the National Critical Mineral Mission, and with what expenditure and what expected investment by PSUs?
On 29 January 2025; an expenditure of Rs 16,300 crore and expected investment of Rs 18,000 crore by PSUs, etc.
Revision task: from this release, note the two parties to the Statement of Intent, how the release expands TEXMiN and where it is based, the four areas of cooperation, the mission it aligns with, the symposium Prof. Gobardhan Das inaugurated and the secondary resources he named; from the note, the date of the Cabinet's approval of the NCMM, its expenditure and expected PSU investment, when it was announced, the stages of the value chain it covers and the lithium asset KABIL acquired abroad.
Test yourself
NITI Aayog has signed a Joint Statement of Intent to strengthen collaboration in the critical and strategic minerals sector with TEXMiN, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology located at which institution (announced on 3 November 2026)?
Show the answer
Answer: IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
NITI Aayog said TEXMiN (Technology Translation Research Park) is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. The Statement of Intent was signed during NITI Aayog Member Prof. Gobardhan Das's visit to IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, where he inaugurated the National Symposium on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths (CMRE 2026); it envisages cooperation in four key areas and aligns with the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission.
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