Parliament Question: Recycling and Recovery of critical Minerals

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2882 ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025 RECYCLING AND RECOVERY OF CRITICAL MINERALS

2882. SHRI P C MOHAN:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has launched or proposed any schemes or incentives to promote the recycling and recovery of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements;

(b) if so, the details of such schemes including their scope, financial outlay, targeted sectors (e.g., battery manufacturing, e-waste) and current beneficiaries;

(c) whether the Government is encouraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), R&D or

circular economy models for mineral recycling;

(d) the role of institutions such as Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL), IITs and industry stakeholders in developing recycling infrastructure and technology;

(e) the challenges identified by the Government in scaling up mineral recycling and the steps being taken to address them; and

(f) whether India has set any national targets for recycled content in critical mineral usage especially in sectors like EVs, electronics and renewable energy, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a) & (b): The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), set up following the approval by the Union Cabinet on 29.01.2025, comprises key interventions for increasing domestic capacity and building supply chain resilience in critical minerals. A ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme for promotion of recycling of used products such as e-waste, lithium-ion battery waste and other waste for separation and extraction of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements is a part of the Mission.

(c) & (d): To aid circular economy in the mineral sector through recycling, support is extended to R&D institutes and to Start-ups and MSMEs under the Science & Technology programme of the Ministry of Mines. Recycling is one of the focus areas in the programmeand R&D institutes including IITs have to seek partial industry contribution to be eligible for funding. Role of the industry, besides institutes like IITs, in undertaking R&D in the mineral sector including recycling is thus ensured under the said programme. The role of Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. is primarily to seek critical mineral assets overseas.

(e) & (f): Lack of support to industry hinders scaling up of mineral recycling, and hence, an incentive scheme has been made a part of the NCMM. The development of the industry for recycling of critical minerals being in an early stage, national targets for recycled content in critical mineral usage have not been specified.

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