<h1>Discovery of major rare earth reserves sparks push for domestic critical-minerals industry, permitting, rights allocation, and export controls</h1> State authorities announced discovery of sizeable rare earth element (REE) reserves in a district, projecting reduced import dependence and development of a domestic critical-minerals industry. State and federal ministries, plus public mining and rare-earth enterprises, are pursuing exploration, processing infrastructure, research collaborations and a proposed Centre of Excellence. Legal implications include allocation of mineral rights under mining and minerals law, environmental and land-use approvals, regulatory oversight for extraction and processing, potential public-private agreements, and export/control regimes for strategic materials. Secondary-source recovery from coal and ash raises additional permitting and waste-management compliance issues.