PM calls for reliable, secure critical mineral supply chain at BRICS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the need to work together to make supply chains for critical minerals and technology secure and reliable at the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil today.

“It’s important to ensure that no country uses these resources for its own selfish gain or as a weapon against others,” he said in the speech.

Meanwhile, the Rio de Janeiro Declaration at BRICS also recognised the key role of critical minerals for the development of zero- and low-emission energy technologies, energy security, and resilience of energy supply chains.

“We affirm the need to promote reliable, responsible, diversified, resilient, fair, sustainable, and just supply chains of such minerals to guarantee benefit sharing, value addition and economic diversification in resource-rich countries,” it reads.

India’s dependency on China for critical minerals remains a vulnerability.

The 2023 report by the Ministry of Mines lists 30 critical minerals essential for national development, with China identified as a major source for several, including graphite, silicon, cobalt, and germanium.

For instance, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs in early April 2025 announced the decision to implement export controls on certain rare earth-related items.

Also, in April 2025, India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) to establish a framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.

“Critical minerals are essential for a country's economic development and national security, and their lack of availability or concentration in a few geographical locations can lead to supply chain vulnerabilities,” the Ministry of Mines release reads.

“They are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing,” it added.

In June 2025, in a weekly media briefing, the Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said that they are in touch with the Chinese side, both in Delhi and Beijing, “to bring predictability in the supply chain for trade, consistent with international practices.”