President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said that India must become self-reliant in Rare Earth Elements (REEs) production as it is crucial for achieving the goal of a developed country and ensuring national security.
Murmu, who presented the National Geoscience Awards-2024 for outstanding contributions in the field of Geoscience at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, said minerals have played a crucial role in the development of human civilization.
“Minerals found in the Earth’s crust have provided the foundation for human life and shaped our trade and industry. The Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age – the major stages of human civilization’s development – are named after minerals,” she said, adding industrialisation would have been unimaginable without minerals like iron and coal.
“Given the current geopolitical situation, India must become self-reliant in their production. This is crucial for achieving the goal of a developed India and ensuring national security.”
She underlined that REEs are considered rare not because they are scarce, but because the process of refining them and making them usable is extremely complex, thus “developing indigenous technology to accomplish this complex process would be a major contribution to the national interest.”
Noting how this industry also has numerous adverse effects, including the displacement of residents, deforestation, and pollution of air and water, she said all regulations must be strictly followed during the mining process to mitigate these impacts.
The President highlighted that India is surrounded by oceans on three sides and the depths of these oceans hold reserves of many valuable minerals.
“Technology needs to be developed and deployed to add value to mineral products and minimise wastage. This is crucial for sustainable mineral development,” the President said, urging geoscientists to work in this regard.
She praised the efforts of the Ministry of Mines towards promoting AI, machine learning, and drone-based surveys in the mining industry. The President also appreciated the steps taken by the Ministry for the recovery of valuable elements from mine tailings.