Consider the following statements :
- I.India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member.
- II.India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified.
- III.The Parliament in 2023 has amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowering the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite license for certain critical minerals.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: C. Statement I is correct: India joined the US-led Minerals Security Partnership in June 2023. Statement II is wrong: India depends heavily on imports for many of its 30 critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. Statement III is correct: the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 lets the Central Government alone auction mining leases and composite licences for critical minerals listed in Part D of the First Schedule. So I and III.
Watch for: The word 'all' in Statement II: India is short of many critical minerals, which is why it joined the MSP.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because Statement II is incorrect.
- B. Wrong because Statement II is incorrect.
- D. Wrong because Statement II is incorrect.
Source to check: Ministry of Mines: Critical Minerals for India report (2023); Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023; PIB releases of the Ministry of Mines
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.