India Cabinet approves ₹1,500 crore Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Minerals Recycling (CMRIS)

Mechanism

CMRIS is the first operational sub-scheme to be notified under the National Critical Mineral Mission (₹34,300 crore, approved January 2025). Where the parent NCMM covers the full supply chain — primary exploration, mining, processing, and recycling — CMRIS operationalises only the recycling leg with its own gazette notification, budget allocation, and incentive structure.

Eligible feedstock covers three streams: 1. E-waste (printed circuit boards, display panels, and other WEEE) 2. Lithium-ion battery scrap (from consumer electronics, EVs, and stationary storage) 3. End-of-life vehicle catalytic converters (platinum, palladium, rhodium recovery)

The incentive structure is two-tiered:

• Capex subsidy: 20% of plant and machinery cost
• Opex subsidy: 40% for large units, 60% for small units, over six years
• Per-entity cap: ₹50 crore for large units; ₹25 crore for small units (to distribute benefits

across a larger number of recyclers rather than concentrating in a single large incumbent)

The scheme targets:

• 270 kt/year recycling capacity (national aggregate by FY2031)
• 40 kt/year critical minerals recovery from secondary streams
• ₹8,000 crore private investment mobilised
• ~70,000 direct and indirect jobs

Downstream implications

• India currently has negligible domestic recycling capacity for battery-grade critical minerals;

CMRIS is designed to fill this gap before the EV ramp-up produces large waste streams (~2027+)

• Reduces India's dependence on primary-mineral imports (primarily from China-routed supply chains)

for lithium, cobalt, and REEs in the battery manufacturing pipeline

• Signals that NCMM is now executing sub-scheme by sub-scheme — further CMRIS-style instruments

targeting primary processing and refining are expected under the broader ₹34,300 crore envelope

• Platinum-group-metal recovery from catalytic converters is structurally relevant to South African

PGM exports; a domestic Indian recycling capability reduces import demand at the margin

Open questions

• Ministry of Mines gazette notification text (Sep 8, 2025) — confirm exact S.O. or G.S.R. number

for legal citation and commencement order

• Whether CMRIS incentives are stackable with state-level recycling incentives (e.g., Karnataka,

Gujarat EV battery policies)

• Which agency administers applications — Ministry of Mines directly or a delegated body under NCMM