In a bid to address potential supply chain vulnerabilities for materials like lithium, cobalt and titanium, the Centre launched the first tranche of the Critical and Strategic Minerals Auction on Wednesday. A total of 20 blocks have been put up for auction and their combined value is estimated to be Rs 45,000 crore, Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi said. 

The 20 blocks are located in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir, and composite licences will be issued for 16 of them, while mining licences will be given for the remaining four. Exploration is allowed under composite licences.

The bidder will be selected based on the highest percentage of royalty rates quoted by them. Sale of tender documents will begin on Wednesday itself, and Mr Joshi encouraged prospective bidders to apply.

The Mines And Minerals (Development And Regulation) Act was amended in August and 24 minerals were notified as Critical and Strategic minerals. 

The auction is important because the minerals are essential for the country’s economic development and national security. Lithium is a core component in lithium-ion batteries that form the backbone of not just mobile communication but also electric vehicles, which are touted as the future of transportation. Batteries will also play a role in the wide adoption of solar power to store the electricity produced for use when the sun isn’t shining. 

India has committed to achieving 50% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030 and lithium and other such minerals will have a key role to play in making that a reality. 

Cobalt also has application in storage, and titanium is widely used in the defence industry. 

Officials said the the lack of availability of these minerals or concentration of their extraction or processing in a few countries may lead to supply chain vulnerabilities. Future technologies will also depend on lithium, graphite, cobalt, titanium and other rare earth elements. 

The other key industries that depend on these minerals include agriculture and pharmaceutical production.

“We have identified a total of 100 blocks for auction. Of these, 20 are being offered in the first tranche and the auction for the others will take place in due course,” said Mr Joshi.

An 85-year-old Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and set free two weeks later said she met its Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar while in captivity and asked him how he was not ashamed for having acted violently against peace activists like herself.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was taken from her Kibbutz Nir Oz home in Israel to Gaza. She told the Israeli newspaper Davar she confronted Sinwar when he visited the hostages in an underground tunnel where Hamas was holding them captive.

“Sinwar was with us three to four days after we arrived,” Lifshitz told the Hebrew-language Davar newspaper. “I asked him how he is not ashamed to do such a thing to people who all these years have supported peace.”

“He didn’t answer. He was silent,” she said.

Lifshitz is a peace activist who, together with her husband, helped sick Palestinians in Gaza get to hospital for years, her grandson told Reuters. Her 83-year-old husband, Oded, was also kidnapped from their home and remains in captivity.

Speaking with reporters following her release from Hamas captivity last month, Lifshitz said that she “went through hell” during her two weeks as a hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Lifshitz was one of four women freed by Hamas early in the war. She said she had been beaten when she was abducted but was then treated well during her two-week captivity.

On her release, she turned to shake the hand of a masked captor. Asked why, she replied: “They treated us gently and met all our needs.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Vicky Kaushal is gearing up for the release of Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur alongside Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh. On Wednesday, a special screening of the biopic film was held in Mumbai.

Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal served couple goals at the screening of Sam Bahadur as they were clicked twinning in black. Katrina opted for a stunning black off-shoulder dress while Vicky wore a black jacket and jeans combination.

Ananya Panday, Aditya Roy Kapur, Rekha and Vidya Balan were some of the other celebs clicked at the screening. Check out all the photos from the evening here: