India cannot build the batteries of tomorrow without securing the minerals of today — and Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy made that case with force at the Business Today Infrastructure Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Friday, 31 July 2026, telling an audience of industry leaders and policymakers that Atmanirbharta in minerals is a 'non-negotiable national priority.'

Why Mineral Security Is Now a Three-Front Imperative

Reddy framed India's mining ambitions across three converging imperatives: economic security, energy security, and national security. The argument is blunt and specific — lithium, cobalt and graphite for batteries; copper, nickel and rare earth elements for clean energy infrastructure. Without domestic supply chains for these inputs, India's green transition remains hostage to overseas suppliers. That single equation, the minister argued, is why the sector can no longer be treated as a legacy industry.

India already holds significant weight in global coal markets — the country is the world's second-largest coal producer and consumer — and Reddy reaffirmed coal's continued role in powering energy security and industrial growth even as the critical-minerals push accelerates in parallel.

The Reform Architecture: Auctions, Clearances, and Private Capital

The minister pointed to a structural overhaul that has been years in the making. The MMDR Amendment Act, 2015 replaced discretionary block allotments with mandatory auctions, a shift designed to bring transparency to a sector long dominated by public undertakings. The National Mineral Policy, 2019 extended that logic — encouraging private investment and sustainable practices. Then, in 2020, commercial coal mining was opened to private players under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, marking a decisive break from the public-sector-only model.

Reddy described the cumulative effect as 'a transparent and competitive mining ecosystem,' citing 100% auction-based allocation of mineral blocks, simplified clearances, and an investor-friendly regulatory framework as its pillars. The direction of travel is clear: faster mine operationalisation, greater private capital, and advanced technology adoption across the value chain.

Critical Mineral Mission, Coal Gasification, and the Tech Push

At the centre of the forward agenda sits the National Critical Mineral Mission, the government's flagship programme to accelerate exploration, mining, and processing of strategic inputs. Reddy also highlighted a ₹46,000 crore coal gasification initiative alongside a suite of technology deployments — AI-driven exploration, satellite mapping and drone technology — as instruments to modernise the entire mineral value chain from exploration through to processing and recycling.

The summit address effectively served as a status report and a call to action simultaneously: reforms are in place, the architecture exists, but the pace of execution — new block auctions, operationalising mines, building processing capacity — will determine whether the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 translates from blueprint to reality.

Private Sector as the Missing Multiplier

Running through Reddy's address was a consistent appeal to private industry. Strong public-private partnerships, he argued, are not optional additions to the mining reform story — they are the multiplier that converts policy into production. For EV manufacturers, energy companies and infrastructure developers in the audience, the message was direct: the regulatory ground has shifted, the auctions are real, and the government wants capital to move.

India's mineral ambitions are no longer a distant policy aspiration. The framework is built. The clock is running.