In a concerning development for India’s strategic minerals sector, IREL (India) Ltd, the country’s premier rare-earths producer, has been functioning without a full-time Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) for over six months. The leadership vacuum comes at a time when global demand for rare earth elements is surging and India is striving to reduce its dependence on Chinese imports.
🏢 Leadership Void Since December 2024
The top post at IREL has remained vacant since December 2024, following the departure of former CMD Deependra Singh, who led the company for nearly a decade. In the interim, Director of Finance S.B. Mohanty has been holding additional charge of the CMD’s office.
⚠️ Strategic Implications Amid China’s Export Curbs
The leadership gap is particularly troubling as India faces mounting pressure to secure its rare earth supply chains. China, which controls over 90% of global rare earth processing, recently imposed export restrictions, disrupting supplies of critical materials like neodymium and dysprosium—vital for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense technologies.
🛑 IREL’s Role and Challenges
Established in 1950 and operating under the Department of Atomic Energy, IREL is India’s sole state-run miner of rare earth elements. Despite achieving a record 531,000 tonnes of mineral output in FY24, the company continues to grapple with low processing capacity, lack of domestic magnet production, and now, leadership instability.
🔍 Government Under Pressure to Act
Industry experts and stakeholders are urging the government to expedite the appointment of a full-time CMD, especially as IREL plays a pivotal role in India’s ambitions to build a self-reliant rare earth ecosystem. The company is also central to recent policy shifts, including the suspension of exports to Japan and the push for domestic magnet manufacturing.
