India must become self-reliant in rare earth elements’ production: President Droupadi Murmu

NEW DELHI: Amid global challenges, India’s self-reliance in the production of Rare Earth Elements (REE) is vital for national security and realising the vision of a developed nation, President Droupadi Murmu said during the National Geoscience Awards 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

“Rare Earth Elements are the backbone of modern technology. They power everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to defence systems and clean energy solutions. Given the current geopolitical situation, India must become self-reliant in their production,” she said.

The President also underlined that REEs are considered rare not because they are scarce, but because the process of refining them and making them usable is extremely complex also stated that developing indigenous technology to accomplish this com