Telangana earns NITI Aayog nod for leadership in critical minerals

Hyderabad: Telangana has received national recognition for its proactive role in the critical minerals sector. NITI Aayog named Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) to a high-level national committee. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced the development on Thursday. He cited the state’s continued focus on mineral exploration and sustainability.

SCCL CMD named to national critical minerals committee

According to an Office Memorandum issued by NITI Aayog on November 19, the SCCL Chairman and Managing Director has been appointed as a member of the newly formed National Committee for Identification and Exploration of Critical Minerals. Bhatti said the move reflects Telangana’s leadership in a sector vital to national industrial and energy security.

He recalled that the Telangana government has prioritised the critical minerals domain by encouraging public-sector enterprises like SCCL to lead exploration initiatives. The state is also exploring international partnerships with countries such as Australia, Russia, and Ghana. This aims to expand business opportunities in the mining sector.

Telangana secures exploration licenses, inks national partnerships

Bhatti noted that SCCL recently secured licenses for gold and copper exploration in the Centre’s latest critical mineral auction. Furthermore, the company has signed agreements with national-level institutions including NFTDC, IMMT, and JNARDDC. These partnerships aim to identify and commercially extract critical minerals and rare earth elements. They focus on various sources, such as open-cast mine soil, fly ash, and bottom ash from the Singareni Thermal Power Plant.

He also highlighted how Telangana’s policies are being adopted as models across the country. The Chief Secretary of Assam recently wrote to the Union Ministry of Mines recommending the adoption of the “Singareni model” for critical mineral exploration.

SCCL expands into green energy with NTPC subsidiary

As part of broader sustainability efforts, SCCL has signed a memorandum of understanding with NGEL, a subsidiary of NTPC. They will jointly work on green energy expansion. Bhatti said this further strengthens Telangana’s position as a forward-looking player in both energy and resource management.