E-Waste and Battery Recycling Scheme: ₹1,500 Crore Approved
Why in the news
The Union Cabinet cleared a recycling incentive in September 2025 as a bridge until mining and exploration deliver, since mining takes long to mature.
Key facts
- Outlay: ₹1,500 crore over six years.
- Feedstock: e-waste, lithium-ion battery scrap, catalytic converters from end-of-life vehicles.
- Beneficiaries: big recyclers and SMEs and startups.
About NCMM
- Approved in January 2025; first announced in Budget 2024-25.
- Flagship of Atmanirbhar Bharat, vital for high-tech manufacturing, clean energy and defence.
- Covers exploration (onshore and offshore), mining and beneficiation, processing, and recycling of end-of-life products.
Mission objectives
- Fast-track approvals for critical mineral projects.
- Incentives for exploration and recovery from overburden and tailings.
- Push PSUs and private firms to buy overseas mineral assets.
- Create a metal stockpile.
Exam angle
- Mission: NCMM, January 2025.
- Small-player share: one-third.