Rare earths: India’s strategic statecraft

Recognising the formidable challenge of India’s ambition for self-reliance, the e-book advocates a pragmatic, multi-pronged strategy for an integrated ecosystem. This includes building a critical minimum capacity for defence and creating strategic reserves, while simultaneously forging new partnerships to secure technological sovereignty against a backdrop of escalating global geopolitics. To pave the way towards the ultimate “mines to magnets” ecosystem, it also stresses the need to evaluate game-changing alternatives like Iron Nitride magnets and “urban mining.”

This is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the intersection of technology, industry, and geopolitics. It is also for every citizen invested in India’s technological future.

What’s inside:

Introduction, by M. Kalyanaraman

Section 1

A deep dive into precious minerals, by R. Chandra Mouli

When geology meets strategy, by Dinesh C. Sharma

The new blood diamonds, by Jayant Shilanjan Mundhra

How India’s defence plans hinge on rare earths, by R. Chandra Mouli

Rare earths enabling new warfare: Why supply chain resilience is a defence deterrent, by Apoorba Banerjee

Section 2

India’s rare earth dependency and the missing middle, by Kalyan Mangalapalli

The sleeping giant: A critical appraisal of IREL, by Jayant Shilanjan Mundhra

Powering rare earths production in the private sector, by R. Chandra Mouli

Auto firms bag incentives for indigenising EV manufacturing with rare earths, by R. Chandra Mouli

Section 3

Futuristic rare earths and why India must prioritise them, by Apoorba Banerjee

Beyond China, why India should still ‘Look East’, by Apoorba Banerjee

Can India power ahead without rare earths? by Pradeep Indrakanthi

REE-Cycle: The road not taken? byPradeep Indrakanthi