Key Details
Addressing FICCI’s conference on digitalisation and technology in mining and metals, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh outlined an industry-linked approach for moving technologies from research and testing to commercial deployment.
₹1 lakh crore RDI Scheme: Could finance private-sector R&D and strategic-technology projects at Technology Readiness Level 4 and above.
25 Technology Innovation Hubs: Offer capabilities in AI, robotics, sensing and cyber-physical systems relevant to smart mines, processing plants and supply chains.
Priority technologies: Mineral separation and refining, low-grade ore recovery, advanced materials, magnet manufacturing, recycling and lower-carbon metal production.
Industry contribution: Companies were asked to identify operational challenges and provide data, facilities and technical expertise for development and validation.
Expected progression: Laboratory → pilot → industrial testing → qualification → commercial adoption and replication.
The remarks constitute a policy direction set out in a ministerial address, rather than a new mining scheme or a project-level implementation announcement.
Competitiveness Will Depend on More Than Extraction
India’s mineral advantage will produce greater industrial value only if domestic firms can process resources efficiently and convert them into refined minerals, metals and advanced materials.
The address places technology across the entire chain:
Exploration → mining → processing → refining → logistics → recycling → downstream manufacturing
Digital systems could integrate geological, equipment, process, energy and logistics data to improve operational decisions. Process technologies could raise recovery rates, make some low-grade ores and residues viable, and reduce energy and water consumption.
This widens the objective from producing more minerals to building higher-value, resilient and circular supply chains.
Critical-Mineral Capability Extends into Refining and Materials
The proposed technology priorities include separation, purification, refining, permanent magnets, advanced materials and recycling. These stages determine whether domestic mineral resources translate into manufacturing capability and reduced dependence on concentrated overseas supply chains.
The suggested approach depends on technological maturity:
deploy technologies that are already commercially ready;
validate processes for underused ores and residues before scaling them; and
use selective international partnerships where domestic capability is unavailable, while developing Indian know-how.
Technology adoption must also account for Indian conditions—including varied geology, older industrial plants, demanding operating environments and differences in affordability and digital readiness.
Industry Is Expected to Shape Research Earlier
Mining companies were asked to bring specific operational problems, performance requirements and cost targetsto laboratories, universities, start-ups and Technology Innovation Hubs. Firms would also need to provide the sites, data and technical expertise required for industrial testing.
This could reduce the risk of researchers developing technologies that perform in laboratories but require extensive redesign before adoption. It also gives prospective users a role in determining whether a technology meets commercial, safety and environmental requirements.
The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, which established the 25 Technology Innovation Hubs, provides an existing platform through which some of these collaborations could be organised.
RDI Finance Could Support the Scale-Up Stage
The Research, Development and Innovation Scheme was presented as a possible source of patient capital for technologies that have advanced beyond early research but are not yet ready for normal commercial finance.
Support may become available from Technology Readiness Level 4, when components have been validated in a laboratory environment. For mining and metals, relevant projects could include:
automated and remotely operated equipment;
sensors and predictive-maintenance systems;
higher mineral-recovery processes;
energy- and water-efficient processing;
critical-mineral separation and refining; and
recovery of materials from waste and used products.
The stated benchmark is not the number of patents or demonstrations produced, but whether technologies are qualified, adopted, replicated and commercialised.
Policy Relevance
The opportunity lies in connecting existing research and financing mechanisms with industrial problems that mining companies are prepared to help solve.
Policy issue | Implementation requirement |
|---|---|
Access to RDI finance | Clear eligibility, selection and co-financing rules for mining projects |
Industrial validation | Access to operating mines, plants, data and test facilities |
Research partnerships | Early agreement on performance targets, procurement and intellectual-property rights |
Domestic value addition | Measurement of gains in recovery, refining, recycling and advanced-material production |
Public value | Evidence of improvements in safety, cost, water use, energy use and environmental performance |
Without this pathway, the sector could continue to produce successful pilots that are not adopted at scale. The relevant test is whether publicly supported research results in repeatable commercial technologies under Indian operating conditions.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Who will connect mining companies’ operational problems with Technology Innovation Hubs and RDI financing, and what criteria will determine whether a tested technology is ready for commercial deployment?
Follow the Full Address Here: India seeks technology-driven competitive advantage in mining sector