On January 19, 2026, Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation marked a key milestone in its rare earths programme by receiving an indigenous rare earth processing technology from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

The technology transfer ceremony was held at the BARC campus in Trombay and was attended by senior officials from both organisations. Developed by BARC, the technology is designed to extract Mixed Rare Earth Concentrate from Ambadungar ankeritic ore found in Gujarat. The process addresses ore-specific technical challenges and provides a strong foundation for future pilot-scale validation.

GMDC plans to initially deploy the technology on a pilot basis, with continued technical support from BARC. The pilot phase will focus on optimising recovery rates, evaluating environmental performance and refining the process before any large-scale implementation.

In addition, GMDC intends to leverage the facilities of the International Center of Excellence in Mining Safety and Automation in Ahmedabad for further testing and validation. The company said this approach will support efficient project development and strengthen its capabilities in rare earth processing.