Heed Cabinet Secretary's call for ear to the ground at lower levels too
Somanathan has asked senior officers to be accessible to non-officials who seek meetings in connection with the work of their departments, even to those 'under a law enforcement action or investigation' or with a contractual dispute with the department. This, he wrote, would help the government clarify any miscommunication regarding policies, facilitate more direct exchange of ideas, and provide an opportunity to correct errors. The letter also addresses bureaucrats' disinclination to meet contractors, NGO representatives, trade union leaders, and political party workers. Importantly, it outlines the appropriate protocols for such meetings—they should be held in official settings, not at social venues such as clubs or hotels, and that another officer could be in attendance if such precaution is warranted.
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Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- Indian Express
UP government announces UK scholarship for five students annually
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Saturday that the state cabinet has approved a new scholarship scheme. Under this scheme, five students from Uttar Pradesh will be selected annually to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom. This announcement was made during a tribute meeting held in Lucknow to honour the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The British and UP governments will equally share the scholarship's cost. It has been named after Vajpayee to honour his legacy. While addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said, 'Recently, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) cabinet decided to select five students each year for higher education scholarships to Britain. The British government will cover half of the costs, while the UP government will cover the other half. This scholarship, named in honour of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is considered prestigious in Britain. The state government is dedicated to preserving the memory of Atal Ji through this initiative.' The Chief Minister paid tribute at the statue of Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan on his death anniversary. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recalled the significant contributions of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Indian politics. During the same event, he also paid floral tributes to the freedom fighter and warrior queen, Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi, on her birth anniversary. The Chief Minister highlighted that Vajpayee's six-decade-long political journey provided a new direction for Indian politics. He emphasised Vajpayee's commitment to India's core values and ideals, showcased a successful model of development within the country, and elevated India's honor and cultural identity on the global stage. Additionally, the Chief Minister informed that the state government is actively working on plans to install a statue of Veerangana Avanti Bai Lodhi. He noted that the government has consistently taken substantial steps to honor and recognize the power of women in Uttar Pradesh. The Chief Minister expressed that the sacrifice and struggles of this great warrior for Bharat Mata will remain an everlasting source of inspiration, and he offered his heartfelt obeisance to her. Present at the event were Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, BJP State President Bhupendra Singh Patel, and Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, among others. (With ANI inputs)
Time of India
10 minutes ago
- Time of India
Papum Pare to Singrauli: India maps fresh hotspots for rare earth metals amid China concerns
Papum and Pare—two little-known rivers winding through the hills of Arunachal Pradesh—may soon step into the national spotlight. The Papum Pare district, named after these rivers, has emerged as a promising frontier in India's quest for rare earth elements (REEs). A Ministry of Mines handbook released in June spotlighted the region's 'notably high neodymium' content — a vital component in electric vehicles and advanced electronics. If tapped, these reserves could one day fuel EV and auto manufacturing hubs from Gurgaon to Pune to Chennai. And Papum Pare is just the beginning. REE-enriched soils have also been identified in Assam's Karbi Anglong, while a bauxite-REE belt has surfaced in Meghalaya's Sung Valley. Adding to the momentum, Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy informed Parliament last month of newly discovered REE deposits of 'promising' nature in the Singrauli coalfields of Madhya Pradesh. Together, these discoveries signal a broader shift: the strategic metals the world is scrambling to secure are not limited to India's well-known beach sands, red sands, or alluvial deposits in states like Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. They lie deeper inland too—across the forests, hills, and even coalfields of India's unexplored heartlands. Amid global jitters over China's export curbs on rare earth, India has identified many of these new hotspots. Yet, diplomacy, not discoveries, holds the key to near-term supply security. A matter of balance 'India simply can't keep all its eggs in one basket. China will extract its pound of flesh, then open the gates—but by then, the damage may be done,' says a top executive of an Indian auto company requesting anonymity as he is also aiding the government to explore alternative sources for metals. India's reliance on China for rare earth magnets remains strikingly high, with 85-90 per cent of import volumes and 60-80 per cent of import value in two key categories. This data, revealed in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on August 1, underscores the depth and complexity of India's supply chain dependence. According to an SBI Research report released last month, China's export curbs are impacting a broad swathe of industries including transport equipment, basic metals, machinery, construction and electrical and electronics, highlighting the far reaching consequences of supply chain disruptions. The rare in rare earth REEs comprise a group of 17 elements, divided into two categories: light and heavy. Light REEs, such as neodymium and praseodymium, are essential for electric vehicle motors, wind turbines among others. In contrast, heavy REEs like dysprosium and terbium are critical for high performance applications, including fighter jets and other advanced defence systems that require enhanced magnetic stability. While rare earths are classified as critical minerals, it's important to note that not all critical minerals are rare earths. Elements such as lithium and cobalt, also vital to the EV ecosystem, fall into the critical category but are not part of the rare earth family. In 2024-25 alone, the Geological Survey of India undertook 195 exploration projects to assess critical minerals including REEs. While the discovery of new pockets of clean-tech metals offers hope for the future, what India Inc urgently needs is a diversified and resilient supply chain. The reason is simple: China is dominating the game. India may rank third globally in rare earth reserves—trailing only China and Brazil—but when it comes to actual production and refining, the numbers tell a stark story. As of 2024, China mines nearly 70 per cent of the world's rare earth and controls an overwhelming 90 per cent of refining capacity, according to US Geological Survey's data. India's production share is less than 1 per cent. So, when Beijing imposed export restrictions in April—largely aimed at the US as part of tariff retaliation—the ripple effects were global. Auto breakdown For Indian automakers heavily reliant on Chinese rare earth magnets, alarm bells rang. 'This problem took automakers by surprise, but the disruption affects China too. So, it won't last long,' says RC Bhargava, the chairman of the country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki. Thanks to ample stockpiles and less exposure to the EV portfolio, the company has so far escaped unscathed. Bhargava remains confident that the industry will navigate around geopolitics, as it always has. Mahindra also saw the storm coming. 'We are comfortably covered on the rare earth magnet issue,' says Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO of Mahindra's auto and farm sectors. 'With a combination of inventory planning and alternative sourcing, we're covered for the next two quarters and mostly even for Q4,' he adds. But not every player is as insulated. Ather Energy has already flagged potential volume shortfalls this quarter, and Bajaj Auto has taken the drastic step of temporarily halting production. Over at TVS Motor, which is gearing up to launch electric motorcycles and bicycles later this year, the scramble is on to secure materials from non-Chinese sources. 'Supply chain constraints could affect our new launch timelines,' admitted CEO KN Radhakrishnan during the company's April-June earnings call. Workarounds As noted in a June statement by rating agency ICRA, Indian auto component makers have been actively exploring contingency measures. These include importing fully assembled motors from China, shipping rotors to China for magnet assembly and re-importing them, and even substituting rare earth magnets with alternative engineered materials. However, ICRA cautioned that these workarounds are fraught with logistical, regulatory, and engineering complexities, making them far from seamless solutions. China's export ban targets raw magnets, not finished motors. This subtle but significant distinction means the final product can still be imported. It, though, undercuts the economic and strategic benefits of local manufacturing. Ashutosh Sharma, former secretary of the department of science and technology, believes India must adopt a multi-pronged strategy to navigate the rare earth crisis. At the core of his argument is the need to boost domestic production, especially given India's considerable reserves—8.52 million tonnes (MT) of rare earths, including 7.23 MT of Rare Earth Oxide contained in monazite. 'The government should incentivise domestic production,' Sharma asserts, pointing to untapped potential beneath India's soil. At the same time, he underscores the importance of securing international supply lines through trade diplomacy. Finalising free trade agreements with resourcerich nations like Chile and Peru, he suggests, could help unlock critical mineral access. He also notes India's ongoing efforts to diversify imports by deepening engagement with countries such as Australia and Argentina. Beijing has been aggressively securing and processing rare earths worldwide, employing a mix of diplomacy, strategy, and opportunism — even in conflict-ridden regions. In 2024, Myanmar emerged as the world's third-largest producer of REEs, trailing only China and the US, a surge largely driven at China's behest, with much of the supply coming from the Kachin region, now controlled by rebel groups. This raises a pressing question: Can New Delhi flex its diplomatic muscle to forge alternative, stable rare earth supply chains of its own? Rare search Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), a government-owned entity established in 2019, is actively scouting for overseas critical mineral assets, particularly lithium and cobalt. The company is currently pursuing projects in Argentina, Australia, and Chile. Meanwhile, several industry observers note that the government is actively considering a reduction in customs duties on imported electric motors to ease cost pressures on manufacturers. Simultaneously, it is urging domestic players like IREL (India) to ramp up mining operations and develop a comprehensive rare earth value chain within the country. But such an ecosystem could take years to materialise. This raises an obvious question: Why was IREL—a state-run enterprise under the department of atomic energy— exporting rare earth for years instead of supplying domestically? 'There simply weren't any takers from the auto sector,' says an industry insider. 'Chinese imports were cheaper and commercially more viable. But yes, the tables have turned now.' Reflecting this shift, IREL has recently suspended its REE exports to Japan, aiming to conserve strategic resources for domestic consumption as India moves to insulate itself from global supply shocks. Meanwhile, companies like Vedanta and Hindustan Zinc are positioning themselves to play a central role. In May, Hindustan Zinc secured a rare earth block in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, marking a significant step toward diversifying the country's strategic mineral base. Vedanta, too, is aggressively pursuing critical mineral assets across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh. 'We're leveraging our expertise in advanced metal extraction,' says Arun Misra, Executive Director at Vedanta, 'and investing in rare earth exploration and refining'. However, Misra offers a word of caution. 'Policy reform is crucial,' he notes. 'The current auction regime treats critical minerals like bulk commodities—and that simply won't work. We need a specialised framework to fast-track their exploration and development.' Time to science it According to former secretary Sharma, India's rare earth strategy must strike a careful balance between diplomacy and science—diplomacy to secure resilient global supply chains, and science to develop new technology for indigenous production, and also to pioneer alternatives to traditional REEs. 'Ultimately, we need to develop a new class of materials with properties similar to rare earths,' he says. 'India must take the lead on this.' There are early signs of indigenisation. One such initiative is a Rs 250-crore project backed by the Technology Development Board, a statutory body under the department of science and technology— which last year partnered with Pune-based Midwest Advanced Materials to support the indigenous commercial production of neodymium materials and rare earth permanent magnets. In the near term, diplomacy may buy time. But in the long run, it is science and innovation that will put India in control of its destiny.
New Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Regional disputes must quit India
It is bad enough that our ancestors lived through the evil that was Partition when we carved up our country and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of precious lives over religious fundamentalism then and ever since, but it is worse that we continue to allow individual/regional differences, religious extremism, caste, class and linguistics-based fault lines to get in the way of nationalism and unity. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your regional roots, language, culture etc. but this cannot be allowed to prevail over our Indian identity. Likewise politicians and their minions who insist on a Hindu - Hindi Rashtra are emulating the same divide and rule policy that the British used to exploit and plunder India. This is inexcusable and we cannot keep blaming the Mughals and the Brits for our failures post Independence, especially our tendency to squabble endlessly over everything which has led to us amounting to nothing. Petty parochial interests being chosen over national welfare reflect poorly on us especially when there is so much at stake for India. Surely it is possible for us to preserve our unique regional as well as national identities without letting one subsume the other? If we can pull this off, perhaps we will stop the perennial bickering which has served absolutely no useful purpose and finally realise the dreams of our freedom fighters who fought and died for the vision of a better India where all have freedom, dignity and none are fractious fools.
