Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Today my guest is Pranay Kotasthane (takshashila.org.in/people/pranay-kotasthane-cwccs) who is the deputy director of the Takshashila Institution and chairs the High Tech Geopolitics Programme (takshashila.org.in/high-tech-geopolitics) .
Pranay co-writes Anticipating the Unintended, (publicpolicy.substack.com/) a newsletter on public policy ideas and frameworks, and co-hosts Puliyabaazi, (puliyabaazi.in/podcast) a popular Hindi-Urdu podcast on politics, policy, and technology. He is the co-author of - Missing in Action: Why Should You Care About Public Policy, (amazon.in/Missing-Action-Should-Public-Policy/dp/0143459376/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pranay+kotasthane&qid=1673242114&s=books&sprefix=pranay+kotas%2Cstripbooks%2C243&sr=1-1) When the Chips are Down, and the graphic nonfiction narrative We, the Citizens (takshashila.org.in/books/we-the-citizens-strengthening-the-indian-republic-pranay-kotasthane-anupam-manur-khyati-pathak) .
We spoke about rare earths and critical minerals, China's dominance, the gap between India's ambitions and opportunities, the potential for recycling, and much and more.
Recorded February 2nd, 2026.
Read a full transcript (mercatus.org/ideasofindia/pranay-kotasthane-political-economy-rare-earths-and-critical-minerals) enhanced with helpful links.
Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship (mercatus.org/1991-fellowship) .
Connect with Ideas of India
Follow us on X (twitter.com/ideasofindia)
Follow Shruti (twitter.com/srajagopalan) on X
Follow Pranay (https://x.com/pranaykotas) on X
Click here (mercatus.tfaforms.net/5060934) for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Timestamps
(00:00:00) - 1991 Fellowship (00:01:11) - Intro (00:02:59) - Rare Earths versus Critical Minerals (00:10:15) - Why Are Rare Earths and Critical Minerals So Important Now? (00:29:29) - Geopolitical Uncertainty (00:33:14) - China's Process Advantage (00:44:10) - Industrial Policy (00:48:10) - India's Critical Elements Mission (00:53:00) - Auctions (00:56:53) - India's Position in the Value Chain (01:04:36) - Recycling (01:34:04) - Law of One Price (01:41:28) - Pakistan and Rare Earth Reserves (01:46:26) - Outro
Today my guest is Pranay Kotasthane (takshashila.org.in/people/pranay-kotasthane-cwccs) who is the deputy director of the Takshashila Institution and chairs the High Tech Geopolitics Programme (takshashila.org.in/high-tech-geopolitics) .
Pranay co-writes Anticipating the Unintended, (publicpolicy.substack.com/) a newsletter on public policy ideas and frameworks, and co-hosts Puliyabaazi, (puliyabaazi.in/podcast) a popular Hindi-Urdu podcast on politics, policy, and technology. He is the co-author of - Missing in Action: Why Should You Care About Public Policy, (amazon.in/Missing-Action-Should-Public-Policy/dp/0143459376/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pranay+kotasthane&qid=1673242114&s=books&sprefix=pranay+kotas%2Cstripbooks%2C243&sr=1-1) When the Chips are Down, and the graphic nonfiction narrative We, the Citizens (takshashila.org.in/books/we-the-citizens-strengthening-the-indian-republic-pranay-kotasthane-anupam-manur-khyati-pathak) .
We spoke about rare earths and critical minerals, China's dominance, the gap between India's ambitions and opportunities, the potential for recycling, and much and more.
Recorded February 2nd, 2026.
Read a full transcript (mercatus.org/ideasofindia/pranay-kotasthane-political-economy-rare-earths-and-critical-minerals) enhanced with helpful links.
Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship (mercatus.org/1991-fellowship) .
Connect with Ideas of India
Follow us on X (twitter.com/ideasofindia)
Follow Shruti (twitter.com/srajagopalan) on X
Follow Pranay (https://x.com/pranaykotas) on X
Click here (mercatus.tfaforms.net/5060934) for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Timestamps
(00:00:00) - 1991 Fellowship (00:01:11) - Intro (00:02:59) - Rare Earths versus Critical Minerals (00:10:15) - Why Are Rare Earths and Critical Minerals So Important Now? (00:29:29) - Geopolitical Uncertainty (00:33:14) - China's Process Advantage (00:44:10) - Industrial Policy (00:48:10) - India's Critical Elements Mission (00:53:00) - Auctions (00:56:53) - India's Position in the Value Chain (01:04:36) - Recycling (01:34:04) - Law of One Price (01:41:28) - Pakistan and Rare Earth Reserves (01:46:26) - Outro
