New Delhi, Aug19: Maharashtra holds roughly 41 percentage of India’s rare earth element resources, and Nagpur sits at the heart of the Vidarbha mining and coal belt, home to organisations such as Western Coalfields Limited, Indian Bureau of Mines, MOIL, JNARDDC, DGMS, and the Directorate of Geology & Mining, Government of Maharashtra. This concentration of institutional and mineral strength makes the city a natural base for work in critical minerals, rare earth elements, and digital mineralogy, and that presence was formalised with the inauguration of the TEXMiN–MaxelS Center of Excellence for Critical Minerals & Digital Mineralogy in Nagpur.

The Center is a joint initiative of TEXMiN, the Technology Translation Research Park established by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, at IIT Dhanbad, and MaxelS Tekventures Pvt. Ltd., a Nagpur-based start-up incubated under TEXMiN. Together, the two organisations are advancing India’s mineral security agenda through technology-driven innovation, strategic self-reliance, and indigenous capability development.

The inauguration was held at MaxelS Tekventures’ facility in Hingna MIDC, Nagpur, in the presence of Dr. Hemant Sharad Pande, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Western Coalfields Limited, who attended as Chief Guest. The event was also graced by Prof. Dheeraj Kumar, Director, TEXMiN, IIT  Dhanbad; Dr. Anupam Agnihotri,Advisory Director , MaxelS Tekventures and Former Director, JNARDDC, who delivered the inaugural address; Shri Suraj Prakash, CEO, TEXMiN; and Shri Muhammed Danish, CBDO, TEXMiN, along with several other dignitaries and members of the mining, minerals, and technology ecosystem.

Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, IIT Dhanbad and Chairman, Hub Governing Board, TEXMiN, TTRP, DST, GoI, said,

 “The inauguration of the TEXMiN–MaxelS Center of Excellence marks an important milestone in extending our institutional strength into Maharashtra, a state with deep-rooted mining expertise and a significant share of India’s rare earth resources. Nagpur’s ecosystem of organisations working in mining and minerals makes it an ideal base for this collaboration. Through this Center, we look forward to advancing research, technology development, and skilled talent that contribute meaningfully to India’s critical minerals mission and its broader goal of self-reliance in strategic resources.”

Prof. Dheeraj Kumar,  Head, CoRE-MiN (NCMM-CoE) and Director, TEXMiN, TTRP, DST, GoI, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, said,

 “Nagpur’s mining and mineral ecosystem, anchored by organisations like WCL, MOIL, IBM, and JNARDDC, makes it a natural home for this Center of Excellence. Through our partnership with MaxelS, we aim to bring together exploration, digital mineralogy, and technology development under one roof, translating research into real capability on the ground. This collaboration reflects TEXMiN’s continued commitment to building indigenous solutions in critical minerals and rare earth elements that support India’s larger mineral security and self-reliance goals.”

Madhu Nair, CEO, MaxelS Tekventures Pvt. Ltd  said,

“For MaxelS, this Center of Excellence is a natural extension of our journey with TEXMiN, from incubation to building indigenous technology for India’s critical minerals sector. Nagpur gives us access to a strong mining and mineral ecosystem, and this collaboration lets us bring exploration, digital mineralogy, and automation capabilities together under one platform. We’re excited to work alongside TEXMiN and our partners to build solutions that support India’s mineral security and self-reliance goals, right here in Maharashtra.”

What the Center brings

The TEXMiN–MaxelS Center of Excellence brings together capabilities across the critical mineral value chain, including:

• Critical mineral exploration and mapping

• Extraction technology development

• Digital mineralogy and AI-based analytics

• Advanced testing and analytical facilities

• IoT, robotics, and mine automation

• Startup incubation and industry collaboration

• Training and capacity building

By bringing exploration, testing, digital intelligence, technology, and industry closer together, the Center is designed to strengthen TEXMiN’s ongoing work in critical minerals, REEs, and digital mineralogy, and deepen its engagement with partners across the region.