Bhubaneswar: India needs to bridge the gap between discovery of critical mineral deposits and their commercial production through advanced extraction, beneficiation and refining technologies, experts said at a national seminar in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.They said the country’s annual import bill for critical minerals has crossed Rs 6 lakh crore, underlining the need to accelerate exploration and develop indigenous processing capabilities to strengthen India’s mineral security.The observations were made at the two-day national seminar on natural resources and their utilisation organised by Geological Society of India (GSI) in collaboration with the directorate of mining and geology, Odisha, at the CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology auditorium here.Experts, including GSI Bengaluru president KV Subbarao, GSI DG Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir and IMMT Bhubaneswar director Ramanuj Narayan, said critical minerals are essential for advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, electric mobility, defence, electronics and emerging technologies. However, several deposits and mineral occurrences in India, including Odisha, remain inadequately explored and are yet to be systematically assessed for their economic potential.They stressed the need to improve the recovery of valuable elements from low-grade and complex ores while establishing domestic processing and refining facilities. Stronger collaboration among research institutions, mining companies, academic bodies and govt agencies was also described as essential for converting geological discoveries into commercially viable production.Odisha, with its favourable geological formations and established mineral industry, could play a key role in reducing India’s dependence on imported critical minerals, speakers said. They called for systematic exploration, adoption of advanced technologies and sustainable mining practices to unlock the state’s potential.The seminar focuses on 30 identified critical minerals. A peer-reviewed volume containing 39 research papers was also released during the event.