Bad news for China as India hits big jackpot, finds massive deposits of 'Rare Earth Minerals' in this Indian state, it is...

India is taking key steps to reduce its reliance on rare earth imports by tapping into its own reserves, especially at a time when China dominates the global rare earth supply chain. In Rajasthan, early-stage explorations led by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Department of Atomic Energy have revealed signs of rare earth elements such as neodymium and dysprosium. These elements are vital for modern technologies, from mobile phones and electric vehicles to defence equipment and renewable energy systems.

According to a CNN-News18 report, the government is planning to auction land in Rajasthan's Balotra and Jalore regions. These areas are believed to have rich deposits of minerals like bastnasite, britholite, and xenotime — all of which are sources of rare earth elements including cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, praseodymium, gadolinium, and dysprosium.

Supporting this effort, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that India holds the third-largest reserves of rare earths globally.

These developments come alongside the central government's push through the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), which aims to accelerate exploration, mining, and processing of critical minerals. In addition, a Rs 1,000-crore Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has been announced to promote the domestic production of rare earth magnets. These magnets are essential components in everything from household gadgets and electric vehicles to fighter jets.

Rare earths are a group of 17 minerals that are not actually rare in quantity but are difficult to extract and refine, as they are usually mixed with other minerals. One of the key challenges India faces is the low concentration of rare earth metals in its ores. However, state-owned company IREL India believes that the hard rock reserves in Rajasthan could help solve this issue.