‘Strengthening critical mineral supply chains vital to enhance India’s mfg capability resilience’

New York/Washington: India underscored its strong commitment to strengthening and securing critical mineral supply chains at a high-level ministerial meeting hosted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as global concerns grow over supply disruptions and concentration risks.

Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw represented India at the Finance Ministerial on Securing Critical Minerals Supply Chains, held at the US Treasury on Monday.

The meeting focused on identifying solutions to secure and diversify supply chains for critical minerals, particularly rare earth elements, which are vital for advanced manufacturing and clean energy technologies.

In a post on X, Vaishnaw said strengthening critical mineral supply chains is essential for enhancing the resilience of India’s manufacturing base and its rapidly expanding electronics sector. He added that secure access to these minerals is crucial for achieving India’s long-term development vision of “Viksit Bharat.”

Bessent said the discussions reflected a strong, shared desire among participating nations to urgently address vulnerabilities in critical mineral supply chains. He expressed optimism that countries would focus on prudent “derisking” rather than decoupling, and take decisive action to address existing gaps.

According to the US Treasury, the United States outlined steps and investments already undertaken, as well as future plans, to create secure, diversified and resilient critical mineral supply chains. Noting that these supply chains remain highly concentrated and susceptible to disruption or manipulation, Bessent urged participants to strengthen resilience through cooperation and swift action.

Finance ministers and senior officials from Australia, Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the UK attended the meeting, along with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and senior executives from the Export-Import Bank of the US and JP Morgan.

During his visit, Vaishnaw also met Michael Kratsios, Assistant to President Trump and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, along with Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, to discuss preparations for the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit.

India will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on February 19–20, focusing on the principles of People, Planet and

Progress.