India to impart skills training to 5.7 million workers by 2030 in the mining sector

India will create a pool of 5.7 million skilled workers by 2030 in the mining sector as the government lays emphasis on indigenous mining of critical minerals for development of clean energy in the country and to help India become self-reliant while reducing import dependence on China.

The ministry of mines and the Skill Council for Mining Sector (SCMS), under the ministry of skills development and entrepreneurship, have formed a project steering committee to undertake a Skills Gap Study 2025-30 for the mining sector across different job roles under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).

“The report will come up with a detailed action plan for the sector on ways to impart skills training to millions of workers to cater to the increasing demand from the sector in the near future under the Mission,” a senior government official told ET.

The plan is to enhance the share of the mining sector to GDP to 5% by 2030 from 2.2% now with multiple initiatives under the NCMM, aimed at enhancing India’s capabilities in the critical mineral mining and subsequently bring down import dependence.

“Work has started on creating a future-ready workforce in the mining sector for 2025-35 and we hope to submit the recommendations by March 2026 which will serve as a guide for government and industry to create requisite workforce,” Pankaj Satija, chairman, SCMS said.

“The idea is to impart skills training in the high-tech areas in the sector to help improve productivity and reduce fatality,” he said, targets will be set and regular monitoring will be done at the highest level.

The government launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) earlier this year to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector and has tasked the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to conduct 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.

It is of the view that the critical minerals are essential for a country’s economic development and national security, and their lack of availability or concentration in a few geographical locations can lead to supply chain vulnerabilities.

As per the Directorate General of Mines Safety, the sector has registered 1063 fatalities in the last 10 years, with 60 in 2025, suggesting the need to address persistent challenges linked to skills, training, mechanization readiness and regulatory compliance.