Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed the establishment of dedicated rare earth corridors in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala as part of the Union Budget for 2026–27, aiming to reduce India’s dependence on imports and strengthen domestic capabilities in critical minerals.Presenting the Budget in Parliament, Sitharaman said the Centre would “support mineral-rich states to promote mining, processing, research and manufacturing of rare earth elements and permanent magnets”, which are crucial for clean energy, electronics, defence and electric mobility.

The finance minister said, “The budget proposes raising the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme outlay from 22,999 crores to 40,000 crores, alongside new initiatives such as ISM 2.0, rare earth corridors, and dedicated chemical parks.”The proposal builds on the scheme for rare earth permanent magnets that was launched in November 2025, she said, adding that the government now proposes to scale up support for states to establish dedicated corridors focused on the full value chain – from extraction to advanced manufacturing.

Reducing import dependence

Rare earth minerals are a group of 17 elements used in high-tech products such as electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, smartphones, semiconductors, defence systems and precision electronics. India currently imports a significant share of its rare earth requirements, with China dominating global production and processing.China controls a large portion of the world’s rare earth refining capacity and has, in recent years, tightened export controls on critical minerals, raising concerns over supply disruptions for manufacturing economies like India.The proposed corridors are aimed at building domestic capacity and insulating Indian industry from global supply shocks.

Polls bound states in focus

Two of the four states identified for the proposed rare earth corridors – Tamil Nadu and Kerala – are scheduled to go to Assembly polls later this year, bringing added political attention to the Budget announcement. Both states have significant coastal mineral reserves, including monazite-rich sands that contain rare earth elements, making them central to India’s critical minerals strategy. The proposed support for mining, processing and research infrastructure is expected to be closely watched in the run-up to the elections, particularly for its potential impact on investment, employment and industrial activity in the states.

Chemical parks and manufacturing push

As part of a broader industrial strategy, FM also announced a scheme to support states in setting up three dedicated chemical parks through a challenge-based route. The parks will follow a cluster-based, plug-and-play model to boost domestic chemical production and further cut import dependence. The measures are aligned with the government’s push to strengthen capital goods manufacturing and secure supply chains for strategic sectors.The Budget proposals come amid growing global competition for access to critical minerals, with countries accelerating efforts to localise production and processing of rare earths and other strategic materials.

The stage is set at the historic Gaddafi Stadium for the final act of this three-match T20I series. While the series trophy is already safely in the hands of the hosts, there is plenty more than just pride at stake. With the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka just 11 days away, this match serves as the ultimate dress rehearsal for two sides trending in very different directions.

Pakistan have been clinical, securing a 22-run victory in the opener and following it up with a 90-run demolition of the Aussies yesterday. Led by Salman Ali Agha, who has thrived in his new role at No. 3, the Pakistanis have used their spin-heavy arsenal to turn Lahore into a fortress. For Mitchell Marsh’s Australia, the series has been a wake-up call; they’ve struggled to read the variations of Pakistan’s five-pronged spin attack, losing all 10 wickets to slow bowlers in the second match.

PAK vs AUS, 3rd T20I: Match Details

• Date and Time: February 1 (Sunday); 4:30 pm IST / 11:00 am GMT / 4:00 pm LOCAL
• Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Head-to-Head Record (T20Is):

Matches played: 30 | Australia won: 13 | Pakistan won: 16 | No results: 1

Gaddafi Stadium Pitch Report

The surface for the third T20I is likely to mirror the first two games, presenting a classic subcontinental wicket that allows batters to score freely early before bringing spin into the game as it wears on. In the previous matches, the ball held up for the slower bowlers, and once the Powerplay passed, chasing became increasingly tricky. While Lahore has traditionally produced high-scoring contests, with the T20 World Cup just around the corner, the pitches appear to be prepared to challenge teams in the middle overs and reward smart tactics. Given how effectively Pakistan’s spinners defended their total, the toss-winning captain may consider batting first this time to avoid the pressure of a spin-heavy chase, even though dew in the evening could still influence conditions.

Squads

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Khawaja Nafay

Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Philippe, Jack Edwards, Mitchell Owen, Mahli Beardman

Also READ: PAK vs AUS, T20I Series: Broadcast, Live Streaming details – When and where to watch in Pakistan, Australia, USA, UK & other countries

PAK vs AUS, 3rd T20I: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Pakistan wins the toss and bats first
• Pakistan powerplay score: 40-50 (6 overs)
• Pakistan total score: 180-190

Case 2:

• Australia wins the toss and bats first
• Australia powerplay score: 50-60 (6 overs)
• Australia total score: 190-200

Match result: Australia to win the contest.

Also READ: Here’s why the Pakistan vs Australia T20I series is not being broadcast in India

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US President Donald Trump has warned Canada of a “very substantial” American response if it proceeds with a trade agreement with China, while at the same time signalling a softer stance towards Iran by saying Tehran was “talking to” Washington even as US military deployments in the region continued.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday (local time), Trump said the US would act decisively if Ottawa followed through on the deal it has negotiated with Beijing.“If they do a deal with China, yeah, we’ll do something very substantial,” Trump said. “We don’t want China to take over Canada. And if they make the deal that he’s looking to make, China will take over Canada,” according to Reuters.Trump last week had threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canada if it went ahead with the proposed agreement with China. Responding to which Canadian PM Mark Carney said, Canada has “no intention” of going forward with a deal with China.

Iran ‘talking to us’: Trump

Separately, Trump said Iran was negotiating with the United States, hinting at the possibility of a deal even as tensions remained high. “(Iran is) talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens… We have a big fleet heading out there,” Trump told Fox News, adding: “They are negotiating,” according to AFP.He said US allies in the region were not being briefed on possible military plans for security reasons.“Well, we can’t tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan – it could be worse, actually,” Trump said.Washington has deployed a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off Iran’s shores, a move that has raised fears of a direct confrontation.

Tehran warns against attack

Iran, meanwhile, has issued warnings against any military action. Army chief Amir Hatami said Iranian forces were at “full defensive and military readiness” and warned that any attack would endanger regional security, according to state news agency IRNA.Iranian officials have also indicated openness to talks. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, said “the formation of a structure for negotiations is progressing,” following talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a broader conflict would harm both sides, adding that Iran had never sought war and did not believe it would serve the interests of Iran, the US or the region.Qatar has also stepped in diplomatically, with its prime minister holding talks in Tehran on Saturday to push for de-escalation, the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said.

BLA claims 84 Pak security personnel killed in Operation Herof (Representative image)

New Delhi: Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Saturday commenced “Operation Herof 2.0”, a large-scale military offensive characterised by synchronised attacks at dawn. While BLA claimed scores of casualties across the region, the official count stood at 12. The local administration claimed to have neutralised 58 BLA fighters.“Fitna-al-Hindustan carried out attacks at 12 locations across Balochistan. During the clashes with the terrorists, 12 personnel of the security forces and the police were martyred,” the Pak media reported, quoting the administration and adding that the attacks were foiled due to “timely and effective action”. In a post on X, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti claimed that Pak security forces had killed 70 rebels at various locations across the province during the past two days.Spanning around 12 districts and especially targeting the provincial capital, Quetta, this offensive marks a significant escalation in regional conflict and is being regarded as the most extensive assault since 2024.The attacks involved use of suicide bombers and a significant number of women rebels at Kalat, Gwadar, Mastung, Noshki, Kharan, Turbat and Pasni where bank, govt offices and Frontier ops HQ were targeted.The attacks coincided with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) top functionary Hafiz Hamdullah’s declaring that armed groups, not the state, now controlled Balochistan.BLA’s Hakkal media also released a new video footage showing commander Bashir Zeb leading armed separatist units on motorcycles.In a statement, BLA claimed to have brought under its control several areas of Quetta, besides Noshki jail and Pasni coast guard camp, police stations and the military intelligence office. BLA’s Majeed Brigade and Fateh Squad (or Fidayeen soldiers) participated in the operation.“The Baloch nation will defeat the enemy in every city, every street and every neighbourhood,” Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson for BLA, said. Op Herof-I was conducted in Aug 2024 and saw at least 126 Pakistani soldiers being killed and scores injured.