State Budget eyes privatising critical mineral resources, says former Industries Minister (opens original article in a new tab)

A former Industries Minister criticized the State government's plan to privatize critical mineral resources and questioned new MSME initiatives, citing existing projects and budget shortfalls.

• Former Industries Minister P. Rajeeve criticized the State government's plan to privatize critical mineral resources along the coast, including rare earth deposits.
• The new government's proposal to exclude public sector undertakings from the Rare Earth Critical Minerals Mission was deemed unfeasible by the former minister.
• The former minister questioned the allocation of ₹100 crore for establishing 10,000 new MSMEs, citing ongoing projects like Mission 1000 and Mission One Lakh MSMEs.