Which of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct ?
- 1.Modern technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and space exploration extensively utilise Rare Earth Elements (REEs).
- 2.China has the highest share in mining of REEs followed by India.
- 3.The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.
- 4.Rare Earth Elements are a set of 13 metallic elements.
Select the answer using the code given below :
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Answer: A. Statement 1 is correct: REEs are vital for AI hardware, robots, magnets and space technology. Statement 2 is wrong: China leads REE mining, but the next largest are the US and Myanmar, not India. Statement 3 is correct: the National Critical Mineral Mission was approved in January 2025. Statement 4 is wrong: REEs are 17 elements (15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium). So 1 and 3 only.
Watch for: India has large REE reserves, so students assume it ranks second in mining.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Wrong because statement 1 is also correct.
- C. Wrong because there are 17 rare earth elements, not 13.
- D. Wrong because India is not second in REE mining and there are 17 REEs.
Source to check: US Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025 (Rare Earths); Ministry of Mines, NCMM PIB release (January 2025)
Answer from the provisional UPSC key; it may change when the final key is out. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.