New Delhi: The Ministry of Mines has officially opened the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling, following the Union Cabinet’s approval of the ₹1,500 crore initiative on September 3, 2025.
Detailed Scheme Guidelines were issued today, October 2, 2025, effectively opening the application window for this key component of the National Critical Mineral Mission.
The scheme is designed to dramatically boost India’s capacity for separating and producing critical minerals from secondary sources. The eligible feedstock includes e-waste, spent Lithium-ion Batteries (LiB), and various other forms of scrap material.
The incentives are aimed at a broad range of industry players, from large and established recyclers to small and new recyclers, including start-ups. The scheme supports Investments in new units and expansion of capacity, modernization, and diversification of existing units.
Crucially, the incentives are focused specifically on the part of the value chain that involves the actual extraction of critical minerals, deliberately excluding operations concerned only with black mass production.
The comprehensive Guidelines, finalized after extensive consultation with industry stakeholders, detail the scheme’s full operational framework, including: Indicative outlays for recycling systems, methodology for incentive allocation, application, evaluation, and disbursement procedures and institutional mechanism and performance review process.
The scheme is now officially open for applications and will run for a period of six months, until April 1, 2026.
This initiative marks a significant step towards securing a domestic supply of critical minerals essential for India’s high-tech and clean energy future, while simultaneously tackling the growing problem of electronic and battery waste.