Metals & Mining

Endowed with abundant mineral deposits of fuels and producing as many as 95 minerals, including 4 fuel, 10 metallic, 23 non-metallic, 3 atomic and 55 minor minerals (including building and other materials), the metals and mining sector in India is a strategic and one of the primary sectors for the growth and development of the country. With 1,319 mines operational in the country, the states of Madhya Pradesh, followed by Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Telangana, account for the majority of mines. Propelling its journey toward sustainable development and self-reliance in the energy domain, coal production in India reached a tremendous milestone, crossing 900 Mn Tonnes at the beginning of March 2024, bolstering power generation in India through the 70% contribution of Thermal Power Plants.

Over the years, the steel industry, which plays a pivotal role in sectors like construction, infrastructure, automobiles, engineering and defense, has also undergone substantial changes through policy initiatives like the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme for Speciality Steel, promoting manufacturing technology upgradation and attracting investments in the steel industry, making India the second-largest producer of steel in the world. With production of 143.6 Mn Tonnes of crude steel and 138.5 Mn Tonnes of finished steel in FY 2023–24, the steel segment has shown an overall upward trend. The government of India has undertaken initiatives to drive the development of these sectors through sustainable policies like the decarbonization of steel industries, PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, aiming at multimodal connectivity through the planned expansion of railway lines, new inland waterways, roads, ports, etc.

With an extensive array of mineral reserves ranging from coal and iron ore to bauxite and copper, the metals and mining sector not only fuels industrial growth but also serves as a catalyst for employment generation and infrastructural development. Leveraging advancements in exploration, extraction and processing technologies, India’s metals and mining sector is poised to unlock new frontiers of growth and efficiency. The synergy between economic progress, resource management and policy intervention for the metals and mining sectors fosters inclusive development, opening up new avenues for investment and production in the country.