India, Feb. 1 -- Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed supporting mineral-rich states such as Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to establish dedicated rare earth corridors as India looks to counter constrained global supply chains of critical minerals.

The proposed corridors will focus on mining, processing, research and manufacturing of rare earth elements, which are vital for clean energy technologies, electronics and defence applications. A scheme for rare earth permanent magnets was launched in November 2025.

Sitharaman said India is operating in a challenging global environment. "Today, we face an external environment in which trade and multilateralism are imperilled and access to resources and su...