The government has approved the National Critical Mineral Mission with an outlay of more than 34 thousand crore rupees. The decision has been taken to build a resilient value chain for critical mineral resources essential for promoting green technologies. Briefing media in New Delhi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of critical minerals for the development of the economy. He said critical mineral technologies are vital for energy transition, agriculture, defence, electronics, telecommunications, transport, aerospace, nuclear and other sectors. He said the Mission has been approved with the aim of increasing the country’s potential for exploration of critical minerals, acquiring critical mineral blocks and reducing dependence on import of minerals.
The government has also approved the price for ethanol procurement from sugarcane feedstock. The sugarcane feedstock includes C-heavy molasses, B-heavy molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar, and sugar syrup. The cabinet approved the price of 57.97 rupees per litre for C-heavy molasses, 60.73 rupees per litre for B-heavy molasses, and 65.61 rupees per litre for sugarcane juice, sugar, and sugar syrup. The Minister said ethanol blending has helped the country’s economy, resulting in saving one lakh thirteen thousand crore rupees worth of foreign exchange. He said farmers have also benefited from the ethanol blending programme, and over forty thousand crore rupees have been paid to farmers in the last ethanol supply year.