UPSC Prelims 2025 – PYQ | India critical minerals policy

✅ Correct Answer: C. I and III only

Explanation:
Statement I is correct: India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a US-led initiative to strengthen critical mineral supply chains.

Statement II is incorrect: While India has identified 30 critical minerals, it is not resource-rich in all of them and depends on imports for many, such as lithium and cobalt.

Statement III is correct: In 2023, the MMDR Act (1957) was amended to allow the Central Government to conduct exclusive auctions for mining and composite licenses related to strategic and critical minerals.