CURRENT AFFAIRS | 27 MAY 2026
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the India-US Critical Minerals Framework at Hyderabad House on 26 May 2026, hours after the Quad foreign ministers’ meet. The framework operationalises FORGE (Forum on Resource-Source Geostrategic Engagement), launched in Washington in February 2026, and targets rare-earth processing, recycling and supply-chain de-risking against China’s 85% chokehold on global REE refining.
Constitutional & Treaty Framework
- Article 73: Executive power of the Union extends to subjects on which Parliament can legislate — including treaties and external affairs (Union List Entry 14).
- Article 253: Empowers Parliament to make laws implementing international treaties.
- UNCLOS Part XI & ISA: Govern deep-seabed minerals as the “common heritage of mankind”.
- Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957: Domestic backbone for critical-mineral auctions.
- KABIL (NALCO + HCL + MECL): India’s strategic vehicle for overseas mineral acquisition.
Key Facts
| Date / Venue | 26 May 2026, Hyderabad House, New Delhi |
| Parent framework | FORGE (US DoE, 4 Feb 2026) |
| Scope | REE processing, recycling, joint exploration, tech transfer |
| Financing | US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) |
| Strategic driver | China controls ~85% of global rare-earth refining |
CLAT Angle
A near-certain GK question on FORGE and KABIL, with Legal Reasoning possibilities on treaty-making powers under Articles 73 and 253. Expect distractors mixing rare-earth elements (yttrium, neodymium) with non-REE critical minerals (lithium, cobalt). The Trump-Modi February 2025 Joint Leaders’ Statement is the trigger document — note that date.
Memory Hook
“FORGE the chain, KABIL the buyer, DFC the wallet” — three actors, one play. FORGE = bilateral framework; KABIL = Indian PSU JV that goes overseas; DFC = US finance corporation that bankrolls the joint projects.
Why CLAT Matters
Critical minerals are the new oil — and CLAT 2027 will ask aspirants to connect the dots between strategic resources, supply-chain geopolitics and constitutional treaty powers. A Current Affairs passage on FORGE, paired with a Legal Reasoning principle on Article 253, is the most likely format.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
