Consider the following statements I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member.

Question

Consider the following statements:

I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member.

II. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified.

III. The Parliament in 2023 has amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowering the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite license for certain critical minerals.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. A. I and II only
2. B. II and III only
3. C. I and III only (Correct answer)
4. D. I, II and III

Correct Answer

Option C — I and III only

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is I and III only.

Key Points

• Explanation: Statement I is correct — India joined the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) as a member in June 2023.
• The MSP is a US-led grouping that aims to build resilient, diversified supply chains for critical minerals and cut dependence on any single country.
• Statement III is correct — the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023 empowered the Central Government to exclusively auction mining leases and composite licences for certain critical and strategic minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and the rare earth elements.
• Why Statement II is wrong: India has identified 30 critical minerals, but it is not resource-rich in all of them.
• India is heavily import-dependent for lithium, cobalt, nickel and niobium among others — which is precisely why MSP membership and the MMDR amendment were needed.

Additional Information

• The Ministry of Mines released the list of 30 critical minerals in June 2023.
• Critical minerals are essential for clean-energy technologies, electric-vehicle batteries, semiconductors and defence applications.