Perspective: India’s Mineral Offensive | 08 July, 2026

For much of the last century, oil shaped global power. Today, a new strategic race is underway - and at its centre are critical minerals and rare earth elements. They are the building blocks of electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy technologies, advanced electronics, artificial intelligence, and modern defence systems. In many ways, they are being called the oil of the 21st century. As the world competes to secure these strategic resources, supply chains have become as important as the minerals themselves. And in just the last 24 months, India has quietly achieved something remarkable. India has built a strategic network with 35 countries to strengthen supply chains for rare earths, critical minerals and semiconductor technologies. Spanning North America, Europe, Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia, these partnerships are aimed at securing long-term access to resources like lithium, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements - materials that are critical for clean energy, high technology, manufacturing and national security. This is far more than a series of bilateral agreements. It's about making sure India has reliable access to the resources that will drive economic growth, clean energy, cutting-edge technology and national security for decades to come. In a world where supply chains are increasingly shaped by geopolitics, this is as much a diplomatic strategy as it is an economic one. So, how does it strengthen India's position in an increasingly competitive world? And what opportunities does it create for India's future? Guests: 1. Prof. Ashutosh Kainthola, Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University 2. Pathikrit Payne, Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF) Anchor: Teena Jha Producer: Sagheer Ahmad Guest Coordinator: Deepti Vashisht, Vinod Kumar Singh, Paras Kandpal Watch the other videos on our playlist:    • Perspective   Sansad Television is the Parliamentary channel of India. It was created in 2021 by merging Lok Sabha Television and Rajya Sabha Television. Follow us on: -X: https://x.com/sansad_tv -Insta:   / sansad.tv   -FB:   / sansadtelevision   -WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VanO... -linkedin:  / published   Visit Sansad TV website: https://sansadtv.nic.in/