Consider the following statements : I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member. II. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified. III. The Parliament in 2023 has amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowering the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite license for certain critical minerals. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Statement I is correct: India joined the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a US-led initiative, in 2023 to strengthen critical mineral supply chains. Statement II is incorrect: India has identified 30 critical minerals but is NOT resource-rich in all of them — many like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements need to be imported. Statement III is correct: The MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 empowers the Central Government to exclusively auction mining leases and composite licenses for 24 critical and strategic minerals. Hence I and III are correct.