1 hr ago
Mica Expert Urges India to Build Domestic Industry
Mica is a mineral that helps protect electrical equipment from heat and electricity.
India has mica, but much of what it exports goes to China.
An expert named Raoul Prem Menon says India should do more processing at home so it can sell more valuable products.
He wants the government to consider a fee or minimum price for mica exports and use some of the money to support the industry.
The government has changed mica’s mining category, but it has not put mica on its list of critical minerals.
Menon also says some mining may be illegal, and he wants workers to be able to mine legally and have better conditions.
He says mica is used in energy and defence equipment, among other products.
His campaign has not yet received a formal response from the prime minister.
Mica expert Raoul Prem Menon has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to treat mica as a strategic resource and consider adding it to India’s critical-mineral framework.
India’s 2024 exports included $17.9 million of crude or sheet mica and $42 million of mica powder; China received about 67% and 74% of those categories, respectively.
The Ministry of Mines reclassified mica from a minor mineral to a major mineral in February 2025, but mica was not added to India’s list of 30 critical minerals.
Menon has proposed an export duty or minimum export price to encourage Indian processing and help fund a domestic mica industry.
Menon raised concerns about possible illegal mining and low-value exports, while saying miners should be brought into a legal framework with better wages and working conditions.
- Who
- Mica expert Raoul Prem Menon has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged the Indian government to act.
- What
- Menon is calling for greater recognition of mica’s strategic value and measures to build domestic processing and manufacturing.
- Where
- The issue concerns India’s mica industry and exports, with China the largest destination in the cited 2024 export categories.
- When
- Menon said he has worked on the issue for about seven years; the government reclassified mica in February 2025.
- Why
- Menon argues that India exports much of its mica at low value and should capture more value domestically, given the mineral’s electrical, energy and defence uses.
Key facts
- Expert
- Raoul Prem Menon, associated with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ ETD 02 committee
- 2024 crude and sheet mica exports
- $17.9 million; China received $12 million, about 67%
- 2024 mica powder exports
- $42 million; China received $30.9 million, nearly 74%
- Government reclassification
- Mica was moved from minor-mineral to major-mineral status in February 2025
- Critical-mineral status
- Mica was not added to India’s list of 30 critical minerals
- Menon’s proposals
- Consider an export duty or minimum export price and invest proceeds in domestic mica processing and industry
- Response to appeal
- Menon said he had received no formal response; he reported interest from officials in the power secretary’s office
Quotes
Raoul Prem Menon
Scientific mica expert associated with a Bureau of Indian Standards committee.
“The smartest thing would be to increase the price of the export mica. That would be put a minimum export price, and whatever the difference in between the actual cost and the export tax, that should be split between the government and developing the mica industry within India.”
firstpost.com
“I would call that electric gold.”
firstpost.com
Sources
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