PARLIAMENT QUESTION: RARE EARTH RESERVES AND MAGNET MANUFACTURING

• Rare Earth Elements (REEs) = 17 elements (15 lanthanides + Sc + Y) critical for EV motors, wind turbines, defence electronics, semiconductors.
• India holds sizeable REE resources but is import-dependent for Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPMs), dominated globally by China.
• The Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) under DAE has mapped India's REE-bearing monazite in beach sands and hard-rock terrains.
• Topic intersects critical-minerals security, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and EV/clean-energy transition — staple GS-III material.