Amid EV industry’s complaint on rare earth shortages, India finds reserves in Rajasthan

At a time when the EV industry is facing a shortage of rare earth supplies due to export restrictions from China, India has found promising signs of having its own reserves in Balotra and Jalore, Rajasthan. 

According to explorations and surveys conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Department of Atomic Energy, patches in Rajasthan have shown signs of rare earth elements like neodymium and dysprosium, metals crucial in electric motor manufacturing. 

Although explorations are still in nascent stages, the US Geological Survey (USGS) believes that India is third-largest rare earth reserves rich countries in the world. 

In a move to extract the potential rare earth elements, the government will soon auction the patches of land in Rajasthan’s Balotra and Jalore, CNN-News 18 reported.  

Reportedly, there are substantial reserves of xenotime, britholite, and bastnasite in the region. 
Many rare earth minerals, including cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, praseodymium, gadolinium, dysprosium, and others, are extracted from these source minerals.

The update came when the Union government’s National Critical Mineral Mission came to light following China’s export restrictions. According to China’s new policy, importers of rare earth metals must produce a certificate from a competent authority stating that these metals will not be used or reused for any military purpose.

Moreover, to encourage local production of rare earth magnets, used in almost everything in the modern world, the Centre has introduced a Rs 1,000-crore Production-linked Incentive (PLI) initiative.

There are a total of 17 designated rare earth elements (REEs), termed "rare" not because they are scarce, but due to the complexity and cost associated with their extraction and refinement. The technique of extracting and purifying them is difficult, and they are frequently found combined with other minerals. The low concentration of metals in Indian ores is one problem that the country faces.