Cabinet Approves ₹1,500 Crore Scheme to Boost Critical Mineral Recycling.

The Union Cabinet recently approved a ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme aimed at developing recycling infrastructure for critical minerals. The initiative, part of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), seeks to ensure a sustainable supply of these vital resources by extracting them from secondary sources.

According to a statement from the Mines Ministry, relying solely on exploration, mining, and foreign asset acquisition can be a lengthy process with significant gestation periods before critical minerals can be supplied to industries.

To address this, the government believes a "prudent way to ensure supply chain sustainability in the near term is through the recycling of secondary sources." This new scheme is expected to spur the development of capacity for the separation and production of critical minerals through recycling, helping to bridge the immediate supply gap.