India’s Critical Minerals Strategy: From Exploration to Supply Chains| ft. Sanjiv Kumar Singh

Right.

Right.

No, excellent.

I'm excited to now dive in, into the topic.

So, you know, India has identified, you know, certain critical minerals, like I think 30 plus, as part of the National Critical Mineral Mission.

From your experience, this is at a big picture level.

We'll, we'll dive into specifics, but at a higher level, where do you see the biggest gaps now? I mean, there is so much push, there is so much incentive from the government.

But as India is growing its critical mineral sector, where do you see the gaps from exploration to mining to processing to manufacturing? Like, what are the current gaps that needs to be filled?

See, as for me, it's my personal perception, I should say, because, uh, with my experience, I'm telling you.

The f- there are f- few gaps.

Number one is the exploration depth and the value chain.

You've just seen Hindustan Copper also in last five years, we focused, before my, uh, joining there, there was very less f- focus on exploration.

And in copper, what happens, it's not only the depth exploration, it's, uh, within the mine also you do, which is by directional drilling and all that.

So the, h- the quantum of amount which you mine out, but at the same time you have to add on also.

So we have to focus.

And we don't have depth exploration agencies in India.

That is one issue.

And this was one of the reasons which I talked to Codelco, and I had requested them that I want, say I have got data of up to 7, 800 meters and all that.

I want to have data up to two kilometers.

But from one to two kilometers.

So depth exploration is one of the prime concerns for all these deep-seated deposits, because copper is also one of that.

Although it's not defined as critical, but it's strategic in nature.

You know, Operation Sindoor and these wars have proven [laughs] that how far, the, what is the importance of the copper.

So- Why I'm saying the exploration? Because it's identifying a mineral occurrence.

Unless and until you establish it, and then only people will invest into it, nah? Make it a block, then block becomes the mine, mine becomes, uh, operations comes into it, and then you process and then.