India, Sept. 19 -- India's mining industry is entering one of its most consequential phases in decades. A fast-expanding steel sector, rising coal and iron ore output, and a renewed national push to secure critical minerals such as copper, lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements - through initiatives such as the National Critical Mineral Mission and the auctioning of mineral blocks under the amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act - are together driving a new wave of investment in domestic mining capacity.

This build-out sits within India's broader Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) agenda, which has placed growing emphasis on developing mining, processing and equipment capability within the country rather than d...