“Critical minerals and recycling have become central to India’s future manufacturing ambitions, particularly in electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy and artificial intelligence.” Rajiv Kumar, Chairman, Pahle India Foundation and former Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog
“Mining alone cannot meet future demand. Urban mines are becoming as important as natural mines. Every tonne recycled reduces import dependence, conserves natural resources, lowers emissions and strengthens domestic manufacturing.” Sanjay Mehta, President, MRAI
“The conference was designed to bring together policymakers, recyclers, OEMs, technology developers, investors and researchers on a common platform to accelerate the growth of India’s critical minerals recycling ecosystem.” Amar Singh, Secretary General, MRAI
India has secured commitments for 850 kilotonnes of critical minerals recycling capacity against an initial target of 270 kilotonnes, signalling strong industry response to the Government’s ₹1,500-crore incentive scheme and strengthening the country’s ambition of becoming a global hub for critical minerals recycling by 2030.
The figures were revealed by Piyush Goyal, IAS, Union Secretary, Ministry of Mines, while inaugurating the one-day conference on “India’s Critical Minerals Recycling Landscape” organized by the Materials Recycling Association of India (MRAI). Highlighting the rapid progress made under the National Critical Mineral Mission, Mr. Goyal said the Ministry had approved 58 qualified recyclers under the incentive scheme within a month of the application deadline. “Against the target of 270 kilotonnes, we have received commitments of 850 kilotonnes. This gives us confidence that India can emerge as a major hub for critical mineral recycling not only in Asia but globally by the next decade,” he said.
The Secretary outlined the broader scale of India’s critical minerals strategy, stating that 571 exploration projects have already been completed by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), while another 300 projects are expected to be completed during the current year. Against the original target of 1,200 exploration projects by 2031, the Ministry now expects to exceed 2,000 projects during the period with growing participation from private exploration agencies.
On the mining front, Mr. Goyal said India achieved a historic milestone by auctioning 212 mineral blocks last year. He added that 36 mines, including 28 greenfield projects, were operationalized during 2025-26 alone, while the government expects to operationalize another 50 to 60 greenfield mines during the current financial year.
The Ministry has also identified processing and value addition as a key priority. Mr. Goyal announced that the Government is supporting the establishment of four Critical Minerals Processing Parks in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat and Maharashtra, with recycling being integrated as a core component of the proposed infrastructure.
Referring to the Union Budget announcement on Rare Earth Corridors, he said discussions with participating states were progressing well and expressed confidence that by 2030 India would not only meet domestic requirements for minerals such as zirconium and titanium but also emerge as an exporter of value-added products derived from critical minerals.
A major challenge, he said, remains the development of a domestic processing ecosystem for battery minerals. “Our companies have acquired lithium, cobalt and other critical mineral assets overseas, but much of the material continues to be traded outside India because we lack a complete value chain. After six rounds of stakeholder consultations, we are now close to finalizing a scheme to build processing capabilities for battery minerals,” he said.
Mr Goyal noted that the recycling incentive scheme covers 27 critical minerals, with incentives linked directly to actual mineral recovery and processing rather than merely producing black mass. The scheme is expected to create at least 300,000 tonnes per year of e-waste recycling capacity by 2030, with the potential for significantly higher volumes based on industry interest.
He also highlighted the importance of collection infrastructure and urban mining, pointing out that substantial quantities of critical minerals remain locked within household and industrial waste streams.
To address this, the Ministry is working on pilot projects for scientific collection systems and has sought recommendations from NITI Aayog on viability gap funding models. Plans are also underway to create a unified national portal connecting recyclers, collection networks and the informal sector to facilitate seamless recovery of critical mineral-bearing waste.
Speaking at the conference, Rajiv Kumar, Chairman, Pahle India Foundation and former Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, said critical minerals and recycling have become central to India’s future manufacturing ambitions, particularly in electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy and artificial intelligence.
He stressed that India remains an under-explored economy and must leverage both exploration and recycling to secure future resource needs. Calling for stronger coordination under the National Critical Mineral Mission, he advocated a national blueprint for critical minerals and recycling, supported by state governments, urban local bodies and dedicated state-level implementation mechanisms.
Earlier, Sanjay Mehta, President, MRAI, highlighted India’s growing potential as a recycling powerhouse. He pointed out that India is today the world’s third-largest automobile market, is developing battery manufacturing capacity exceeding 100 GWh, has electronics production worth US$ 125 billion with a target of US$ 500 billion by 2031, and ranks third globally in both renewable energy and solar power capacity.
“Mining alone cannot meet future demand. Urban mines are becoming as important as natural mines. Every tonne recycled reduces import dependence, conserves natural resources, lowers emissions and strengthens domestic manufacturing,” he said.
Mr. Mehta noted that the Government’s decision to earmark ₹1,500 crore under the ₹34,300-crore National Critical Mineral Mission for recovery of minerals from secondary resources represents a significant step towards building resilient domestic supply chains.
Earlier, welcoming delegates, Amar Singh, Secretary General, MRAI, said the conference was designed to bring together policymakers, recyclers, OEMs, technology developers, investors and researchers on a common platform to accelerate the growth of India’s critical minerals recycling ecosystem.
The conference featured discussions on policy frameworks, technology innovations, investment opportunities, industrial transformation and strategies for scaling recycling capacity, reflecting the increasing importance of circularity in India’s critical minerals security strategy.
