Kishan Reddy Pushes Mining Agencies into Mission Mode to Secure India's Mineral Future

Union Minister for Mines G. Kishan Reddy on Monday issued a firm directive to all mining and exploration agencies operating under his ministry, instructing them to shift into mission mode and expedite projects that have been stalled or delayed. The directive emerged from a series of high-level review meetings held in Bengaluru, where the Minister personally assessed the status of pending projects and underscored the urgency of accelerating timelines. Kishan Reddy stressed that India's mineral security — including access to critical minerals essential for clean energy, defence, and electronics — must be treated as a strategic national priority. Agencies were told to identify bottlenecks, streamline clearance processes, and set clear delivery milestones for each pending project. The Minister's call for a mission-mode approach signals the government's intent to move beyond procedural delays and adopt an outcome-oriented posture in the mining sector. The push aligns with India's broader ambition to reduce dependence on imported critical minerals and build domestic production capacity for materials like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements — all of which are vital to the country's industrial and technological future. Officials at the meeting indicated that progress will be reviewed periodically to ensure accountability and results.