New Delhi, March 26 A parliamentary panel has recommended prioritizing funding for the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER) to expand uranium and rare metal exploration in the country.
In a report presented in both Houses of Parliament, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, highlighted the inadequate funding for uranium exploration activities.
The panel stated that the full shortfall of ₹118.18 crore in AMDER’s capital allocation should be restored at the revised estimate stage of 2026-27.
It emphasized that uranium discovery and resource delineation are long-term activities, with lead times of eight to twelve years between exploration and mine production.
Any reduction in exploration investment today will translate into a fuel supply bottleneck for India's nuclear program a decade hence, according to the panel.
It added that adequate funding for AMDER for uranium and rare metal exploration would help secure a stable domestic supply of nuclear fuel in alignment with India's long-term energy security objectives.