Last Updated on March 25, 2026 2:14 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Government Working on Domestic Capacity: Union Minister
Staff Reporter
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister office, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that India continues to depend heavily on imports for rare-earth permanent magnets, and assured that the government has begun taking decisive steps to build domestic manufacturing capacity. Admitting the current gap in indigenous production, the Minister said that more than 80 per cent of India’s rare-earth permanent magnet requirements are still being sourced from other countries, as domestic output remains insufficient to meet demand.
Replying during the question hours in Lok Sabha, he said these materials are strategically important for multiple high-technology sectors. He said that over the last 11 years, the government, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made several efforts to strengthen India’s self-reliance in the sector and is now in the process of scaling up production.
Highlighting a key milestone, Mr Singh said that India’s first-ever cerium-cobalt plant became operational in 2023, and was formally launched by Prime Minister Modi. He described it as a significant step in the country’s rare-earth magnet manufacturing journey.
He said at present, India’s requirement for rare-earth permanent magnets is around 4,000 units; however he cautioned that by the time the country reaches the capacity to produce 5,000 units domestically, the national requirement is expected to rise to 8,000 units by 2030.