India and five Central Asian nations are set to jointly explore rare earth minerals through a second Rare Earth Forum. The ministers of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were in attendance at the fourth meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue and supported the move in order to further cooperation and extraction of these resources, according to Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the PIB.They plan to engage in talks and exchange delegations in order to evolve an alternative to China's heavy dominance on the global rare earth mineral market.Critical Minerals At Higher Risk Of Painful Disruption, Says IEAOn the domestic front, Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy called for enhanced collaboration among government agencies, industry, research institutions and startups to build a resilient, self-reliant critical minerals ecosystem. He was at the launch of the NCMM Outreach Forum under the National Critical Mineral Mission.Discussions focused on advancements in mineral processing technologies, state government initiatives to enhance infrastructure and approvals, industry-led refining of critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, and graphite, innovative financial models to de-risk investments, and building a circular economy through recycling and extended producer responsibility mechanisms.Hindustan Copper Ltd. under administrative control of the Ministry of Mines signed a memorandum of understanding with Rites Ltd. at the conference to secure a supply chain of metals, minerals including critical minerals by undertaking exploration, extraction, refining and production activities in India and overseas.Both companies will use their complementary technical and financial strengths to achieve the goal set out for critical minerals in this MoU, the PIB release said.Piyush Goyal Flags Risks Of Critical Mineral Concentration, Pushes For Alternatives Amid China Curbs. Read more on Economy & Finance by NDTV Profit.