India, Feb. 11 -- India's march towards becoming a technology superpower in the domains of electric vehicles, defence systems, energy grids, space and science critically depends on rare metals which most people have never heard of. These are the 17 rare earth elements that make or mar any country's achievements in the technology sector.

India is not short of them. From Odisha's beach sands to the coastal stretches of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the country holds around 6 to 7 per cent of the world's rare earth reserves. Yet it contributes barely 2 per cent of global output. The problem is not below the soil, but above it - the near absence of policy, foresight, and perhaps the inability to match China's mining and exploration economics.

Chin...