New Delhi (ABC Live): In 2025, India’s ambition to become a global electronics manufacturing powerhouse reached a defining moment.
With the Electronics Manufacturing Component Scheme (ECMS) clearing its first batch of seven projects worth ₹ 5,532 crore — from high-density PCBs to camera modules and copper-clad laminates — India signalled its intent to move from assembling gadgets to creating their core components.

Yet beneath the optimism lies a hard truth: every circuit board, lens, and sensor depends on critical and rare-earth minerals (REEs). China controls almost 90 per cent of global REE processing, while India imports over 90 per cent of its copper concentrate — the lifeblood of the electronics value chain.

Without domestic control over these materials, manufacturing sovereignty remains a mirage. The true story of ECMS runs from Odisha’s monazite sands to Chile’s copper mines and China’s refineries. In an age when supply chains are strategic weapons, India must evolve “Make in India” into “Mine to Module in India.”
This ABC Live report maps that path — comparing what India needs, is doing, and must do next to secure the minerals that will power its electronics future.

Why ABC Live Is Publishing This Report Now

In October 2025, the Government approved the first seven projects under ECMS — ₹ 5,532 crore in investments for component plants across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. PIB Release ID 2182986.
While these projects promise employment and exports, they also expose India’s hidden dependency on imported REEs and metals. China’s near-monopoly over critical minerals makes India’s supply lines vulnerable to any geopolitical shock.

As the U.S.–China tech war reorders global value chains, India cannot build its future factories on foreign minerals. ABC Live publishes this report to reveal why the next stage of industrial policy must shift from subsidising manufacture to securing materials — the foundation of strategic autonomy.

How This Report Adds Value

• Evidence-Based: Cross-verifies PIB data with DD News and Energy ET on India’s 8.52 Mt rare-earth reserves.

• Global Context: Links ECMS to rare-earth geopolitics and China’s 90 % processing control (China Briefing, AA.com.tr).

• Forward Policy: Integrates inputs from Reuters and the Ministry of Mines on India’s > 90 % copper import dependence.

• Action Framework: Presents a ten-pillar matrix moving from Need → Doing → Should Do with 2030 targets and financing options.

• Strategic Lens: Aligns industrial, mineral and foreign policy threads into one coherent Mine-to-Module agenda.

What India Needs → What India Is Doing → What India Should Do

Why This Matters

• Dependence Risk: 90 % of India’s REE imports and 97 % of copper concentrate are Chinese-linked.

• Economic Leverage: ECMS exports ($ 12.95 bn) could double to $ 25 bn by 2030 with upstream localisation.

• Strategic Timing: The next five years are crucial to align critical-mineral policy with manufacturing missions.

ABC Live Strategic Takeaways

1. Legislate REEs as Strategic Assets. Amend the Mines & Minerals Act.

2. Unify ECMS + PLI + NCMM under a single Integrated Materials Mission.

3. Invest Upstream: 3 REE parks in Odisha, Gujarat & TN by 2028.

4. Finance Transition: ₹ 20 k cr NIIF-backed Critical Materials Fund.

5. Forge Alliances: Japan-Australia co-refining under ESG standards.

6. Define Success: When exports use minerals refined in India.

2030 Targets (ABC Live Benchmark)

ABC Live Editorial Conclusion

India is on the edge of a new industrial era. The next question is not how many factories open — but who owns their minerals. If ECMS remains disconnected from rare-earth and copper security, India may swap one dependency for another.
To truly lead the Global South’s electronics revolution, India must master its materials — from mine to magnet, from sand to semiconductor.

Verified References (Exact Links)

1. PIB (27 Oct 2025) – First batch of seven ECMS projects approved: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2182986

2. DD News – India has 8.52 million tonnes reserves of rare earth elements: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/india-has-8-52-million-tonnes-reserves-of-rare-earth-elements-jitendra-singh/

3. Economic Times Energy – India holds 8.52 million tonnes of rare earth oxide resources: https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/coal/india-holds-8-52-million-tonnes-of-rare-earth-oxide-resources-no-rare-earth-imports-in-last-10-years-govt/122858809

4. China Briefing – China’s rare-earth elements dominance in global supply chains: https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-rare-earth-elements-dominance-in-global-supply-chains/

5. Anadolu Agency – How dominant is China in the global rare-earths industry: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/factbox-how-dominant-is-china-in-the-global-rare-earths-industry/3542506

6. Reuters – India plans steps to counter rising copper supply risks (25 Jun 2025): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/india-plans-steps-counter-rising-copper-supply-risks-2025-06-25/

7. Ministry of Mines – Copper Vision Document 2047: https://mines.gov.in/admin/storage/ckeditor/Final_Copper_Vision_Document_20_1751560229.pdf

ABC Live Editorial Credits

Lead Research & Report: ABC Live Economy Desk
Policy Analysis: Pankaj Gupta|
Editing & Verification: Parminder Kaur | Satish Bhasin
Design & Infographics: ABC Graphics Lab 
Publisher: ABC Live — “Research-Based Journalism for India’s Transformation.”

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