India's Mineral Mission: ₹1,500 Cr Boost for Recycling

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme to boost the recycling of critical minerals, as part of the broader National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).

The scheme aims to build domestic recycling capacity to recover key minerals from secondary sources such as e-waste, lithium-ion battery (LIB) scrap, and catalytic converters from end-of-life vehicles. According to the Ministry of Mines, this move will help strengthen India’s critical mineral supply chain and reduce import dependence.

The recycling incentive forms part of the NCMM, which was previously approved with a ₹16,300 crore budget and a total corpus of ₹34,300 crore over seven years. Public sector enterprises are expected to contribute ₹18,000 crore to the mission.

Critical minerals like copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements are essential for clean energy technologies. The NCMM focuses on enhancing domestic exploration, acquiring overseas mineral assets, developing advanced processing technologies, and scaling up recycling efforts—all aimed at securing India's green energy transition.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.