Consider the following statements:
I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member.
II. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified.
III. The Parliament in 2023 has amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowering the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite license for certain critical minerals.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement I is correct: India joined the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) in June 2023, which aims to strengthen critical mineral supply chains. Statement II is incorrect: While India has identified 30 critical minerals, it is not resource-rich in all of them. For example, it relies heavily on imports for lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Statement III is correct: In 2023, the Parliament amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, granting the Central Government the authority to exclusively auction mining leases and composite licenses for critical minerals.