Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Friday stressed the need to reduce the time taken to operationalise mines to be globally competitive, and also urged the states to focus on extracting critical minerals from electronic waste to meet the domestic demand.
Noting that the mining ecosystem was changing rapidly at the global level, he said urban mining holds a huge potential.
Reddy was addressing the inaugural session of the ‘Rashtriya Khanij Chintan Shivir – 2026’ at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was also present.
The mining sector is in a dynamic phase globally at present due to fast-changing mining geopolitics, focus on critical minerals, advent of new technology, sustainable targets, and competitive mining markets, he said.
Global context
“The entire mining ecosystem is rapidly changing worldwide. Today, this sector is not only a medium for development and industrial growth, but has also become a crucial foundation for India’s geopolitical strength, strategic security and global influence,” Reddy said.
According to him, India needs to look at the mining sector with a 360-degree approach and focus on the entire value chain, including refining, recycling and reprocessing.
Reddy urged all the state governments and departments concerned involved in mining and geology to work together to make the mining value chain more efficient.
Faster clearances
“We need to accelerate exploration by adopting next-generation technologies. The time taken to obtain clearances should be minimised. The mining operation should commence in the shortest possible time. In Assam, a mine was started in just nine months. We need to work with this kind of speed and efficiency,” he said.
After auctions, it takes five to seven years to make a particular mine operational, the Union minister said.
“Therefore, we need to plan simultaneously and move forward, ensuring that exploration, clearances, land acquisition, R&R policies, and operations are completed in the shortest possible time,” said Reddy.
In order to increase the mining sector’s contribution to India’s GDP, the minister urged all the stakeholders to focus on technology upgradation, acquisition of skilled manpower, and research and development activities.
Urban mining
Amid global geopolitics, supply chain challenges and the growing demand for critical minerals, urban mining and waste-to-wealth approach have become a reality in the mining sector, Reddy said.
“There are new opportunities of extracting minerals from waste dumps and fly ash. All the state governments need to work towards extracting critical minerals through urban mining approaches. Urban mining has a huge potential in coming years,” he said.
He expressed confidence that India can fulfil a large portion of its demand for critical minerals from recycling old mobiles, laptops and electronics items.
“This year, a recycling incentive scheme was introduced to promote the urban mining and recycling industry,” he said.
The minister said all state governments, along with the central government and technology partners, must work together to fully utilise this scheme.
“Emphasis should be placed on urban mining alongside industrial waste management. We can bring urban mining to a large scale through strong management, advanced recycling technologies, skilled manpower, inter-ministerial coordination, and an integrated policy framework,” he said.
There are new opportunities of extracting minerals from waste dumps and fly ash. All state governments need to work towards extracting critical minerals through urban mining using the latest technology.
He informed the audience that in the coming years, digitalisation and data-driven decision making will decide the future course of the mining sector.
Reddy said India is also continuously adopting global best practices through policy reforms and technological developments to make India a powerful mining power.
Reform record
“In the last 11 years, the mining sector has seen unprecedented progress and reforms. The pace of reforms has been matched by the visible results on the ground. Compared to 2014, exploration in India has increased by approximately 190 per cent and mineral production has seen a double-digit growth rate,” he said.
The Ministry of Mines has organised the Chintan Shivir (brainstorming camp) in Gandhinagar with the objective of holding structured deliberations on key regulatory and developmental issues related to the mining sector and further strengthening Centre-state coordination, an official release said.
Published on January 9, 2026
