Washington D.C. | New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways, Electronics and IT, and Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, participated in a ministerial-level meeting in the US focused on strengthening global supply chains for critical minerals, a key requirement for India’s rapidly expanding manufacturing and electronics ecosystem.
The meeting was hosted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and brought together representatives from several countries to address vulnerabilities in critical mineral supply chains.
Speaking about the discussions, Vaishnaw said the focus was on building long-term resilience, particularly for high-quality critical minerals.
“When the manufacturing sector is growing rapidly, especially electronics manufacturing, it is very important for all countries, including India, to have a resilient supply chain of critical minerals,” he added.
Vaishnaw further stated that the meeting covered technology for refining and processing mineral ores, securing rare earth elements and permanent magnets, funding of new projects and cooperation on recycling and research.
He also described the discussions as “very positive”, aimed at improving the quality and availability of critical minerals sustainably.
In a social media post, Bessent said he was encouraged by the outcome of the meeting. “I was pleased to hear a strong, shared desire to quickly address key vulnerabilities in critical minerals supply chains,” he wrote, adding that countries were inclined towards “prudent derisking over decoupling”.
In a separate social media post, Vaishnaw also wrote, “Strengthening critical mineral supply chains is vital to enhancing the resilience of India’s manufacturing capabilities and rapidly growing electronics sector.”
Discussion about this post