Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy has called for the development of indigenous technologies in critical minerals, energy and mining to strengthen India’s energy security and reduce its exposure to geopolitical disruptions. He was addressing the 17th convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur. Reddy said rising demand for critical minerals from electric vehicles, renewable energy, semiconductors, batteries and defence made it important for India to establish domestic processing facilities and improve mining technologies. He said the National Critical Mineral Mission was intended to build self-reliance across the supply chain through new technologies, research and processing capacity. The minister said NIT Raipur was among institutions working with a Centre of Excellence under the mission. He also highlighted government support for research and development, including the Rs. 500 bn Anusandhan National Research Foundation and the Rs. 1 tn Deep Tech Research and Development Fund. Other initiatives cited at the convocation included the Prime Minister’s Early Career Research Grant, Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research, Artificial Intelligence for Science and Engineering, and the Critical Raw Materials Research Programme. Reddy said India had 52 institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2027, a 271 per cent increase, while the number of universities had risen from about 700 in 2014 to more than 1,100. He also pointed to progress in technology manufacturing, including commercial production and shipments of Made-in-India semiconductor memory modules from Micron’s facility in Sanand, Gujarat, which began in February. Patent filings had increased from fewer than 15,000 a decade earlier to nearly 175,000 last year, while the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education had risen from 23.7 per cent in 2014-15 to about 29 per cent. Reddy urged students to pursue research and innovation in India and apply technology to challenges in energy, mining, healthcare and sustainability. A total of 1,364 students, including 91 PhD scholars, received degrees.