The Union Cabinet has approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) on 29 January 2025 with an expenditure of Rs. 16,300 crore over a period of seven years, from FY 2024-25 to 2030-31. NCMM also includes promotion of recovery of Critical Minerals from tailings by using various technologies. The Ministry of Mines has been promoting Research and Development (R&D) and technological innovation in mining and metallurgy sector and also funding start-ups, MSMEs and individual innovators under S&T-PRISM (Science & Technology-Promotion of Research and Innovation in Start-ups and MSMEs) for R&D studies and development of indigenous technologies for processing and extraction of critical minerals.

In the Union Budget 2025-26, the customs duty on waste and scrap of critical minerals and others have been eliminated. These materials will provide additional feedstock to India’s growing recycling sector. This will benefit India’s secondary producers by reducing their costs. This will also provide a level playing field vis-à-vis international secondary producers and enable Indian players to compete globally and increase exports of secondary / downstream products.

National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) aims to secure a long-term sustainable supply of critical minerals and strengthen India’s critical mineral value chains encompassing all stages from mineral exploration and mining to beneficiation, processing, and recovery from end-of-life products.

To promote recovery of critical minerals from overburden/tailings/fly ash/red-mud etc., the government has approved INR 100 Crores during the Mission period for setting up pilot projects for mineral recovery through novel methods by encouraging collaborations between industry, academia and research institutions.

The NCMM also includes provision of Rs. 1500 Crore for providing incentives for setting up of recycling facilities.

This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Shuhaib T

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