India's First Tailings Policy for Critical Minerals | 23 Jan 2026

Why in News? 

The Government of India has announced the country’s first-ever Tailings Policy, aimed at enabling the recovery of critical and strategic minerals from mine waste such as tailings, mine dumps, slags, and overburden.

Key Points:

• Definition of Tailings: Tailings are the residual waste materials (crushed rock, water, and chemicals) left over after valuable minerals have been extracted from ore. 
• Secondary Source Recovery: The policy shifts the focus toward extracting "companion minerals" from existing mine dumps, slag, fly ash, and tailings ponds. 
• Inter-Ministerial Coordination: Since critical minerals are often found in materials handled by different sectors, the policy mandates a coordinated approach involving the ministries of Coal, Mines, Petroleum, and Atomic Energy. 
• Technical Implementation: Agencies such as the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), and Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) will lead the identification, sampling, and economic evaluation of these secondary resources. 
• Circular Economy: By reprocessing waste, the policy promotes a circular mining economy, reducing the need for new mines and minimizing environmental hazards like land degradation and water contamination.  
• Reducing Import Dependence: India relies heavily on imports for minerals like Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earth Elements (REEs). Reprocessing tailings will strengthen domestic supply chains for electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy. 
• Economic Value: Recovering companion metals (e.g., Selenium and Cobalt from copper tailings, or Indium from zinc waste) can unlock billions of dollars in "hidden" mineral value. 
• Alignment with National Goals: It supports the National Critical Mineral Mission and Atmanirbhar Bharat by ensuring long-term resource security.