India-Russia: Industrial Cooperation & Extraction of Rare Earth Minerals

General Studies Paper-2

Context: India and Russia have reaffirmed their strategic partnership with a renewed focus on industrial cooperation, particularly in the extraction of rare earth minerals and critical resources, amid US’s escalated pressure on India’s oil trade with Russia.

Indo-Russian Cooperation in Rare Earth Minerals

• Need:Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are essential for modern technologies — electric vehicles, wind turbines, semiconductors, and defence systems.
  • Recent export restrictions by China, which controls 85–95% of global supply,have disrupted India’s automobile production and exposed vulnerabilities in its supply chain.
• To counter this, India and Russia are:
  • Exploring joint ventures in rare earth and critical mineral extraction.
  • Focusing on underground coal gasification and modern industrial infrastructure.
  • Advancing technology transfer and capacity building in mining equipment and exploration.

Expanding Industrial Cooperation

• The 11th Session of the India-Russia Working Group on Modernisation and Industrial Cooperation, held in New Delhi, covered a wide range of sectors:
  • Aerospace Science & Technology: Plans for a modern wind tunnel, small aircraft piston engines, and joint R&D in carbon fibre, additive manufacturing, and 3D printing.
  • Aluminium, Fertilizers, & Railway Transport:Enhanced engagement and technology sharing.
  • Waste Management:Industrial and domestic waste solutions were also discussed.
• The meeting concluded with the signing of a protocol reaffirming the strategic partnership and shared commitment to deepen economic ties.

Scientific Collaboration

• India’s CSIR-IMMTsigned Joint Declarations of Intent with Russia’s Giredmet and Rosatom to:
  • Advance critical mineral processing technologies.
  • Promote sustainable resource development.
  • Support India’s goals under Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat initiatives