The scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2025 with a ₹1,500 crore outlay over six years, aims to build 270 ktpa of recycling capacity and enable 39 ktpa of critical mineral production from secondary resources. It is a significant step toward strengthening India’s resource security, advancing Atmanirbhar Bharat, and supporting the energy transition.
Key highlights discussed:
▪ Focus on recycling from spent lithium-ion batteries, e-waste, permanent magnets, catalytic converters, and advanced chemistry cell scrap
▪ Capex and Opex incentives linked to performance, recovery efficiency, and incremental sales
▪ Strong eligibility framework emphasising technical soundness, technology maturity, financial readiness, feedstock security, and compliance
▪ Clear disbursement mechanisms tied to commercial production and capacity utilisation
▪ A structured six-month application window (2 October 2025 – 1 April 2026)

Importantly, the scheme prioritises advanced extraction and refining technologies and sets defined recovery, purity, and compliance thresholds to ensure high-quality outcomes.

For industry—both established recyclers and emerging players—this represents a strategic opportunity to invest in urban mining, advanced recycling, and circular value chains for critical minerals.