The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) is India’s programme to secure long-term supplies of minerals needed for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and national security. It covers the full mineral value chain.

Basic Details

  • Implemented by: The Ministry of Mines coordinates the mission through a whole-of-government approach.
  • Approved: The Union Cabinet approved the mission on 29 January 2025.
  • Mission period: Seven years, from 2024-25 to 2030-31.
  • Government expenditure: $₹16,300 crore$.
  • Expected investment: $₹18,000 crore$ from public-sector undertakings and other stakeholders.

Aim and Objectives

  • Supply Security: To secure a sustainable domestic and international supply of critical minerals.
  • Domestic Exploration: To intensify exploration on land and in India’s offshore areas.
  • Complete Value Chain: To strengthen exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, recycling, and recovery from end-of-life products.
  • Overseas Access: To support Indian public and private companies in acquiring mineral assets abroad and trading with resource-rich countries.
  • Technology Capacity: To build domestic research, processing, recycling, skills, and innovation capabilities.

Key Features

  • Faster Approvals: It proposes a fast-track regulatory process for critical-mineral mining projects.
  • Exploration Incentives: It offers financial support for critical-mineral exploration.
  • Secondary Recovery: It promotes mineral recovery from overburden, mine tailings, and end-of-life products.
  • Processing Parks: It provides for specialised parks to develop domestic mineral-processing capacity.
  • Recycling Support: It supports facilities that recover critical minerals from used products and industrial waste.
  • Strategic Stockpiles: It proposes domestic stockpiles to reduce the impact of supply disruptions.
  • Research Network: It supports critical-mineral technologies and Centres of Excellence.

Significance

  • Import Resilience: Domestic exploration, overseas assets, recycling, and stockpiles together reduce exposure to concentrated global supply chains.
  • Energy Transition: Reliable access to lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements supports batteries, renewable-energy systems, and electric mobility.
  • Industrial Security: Processing capacity can keep more value addition in India and support electronics, telecommunications, and advanced manufacturing.
  • Defence Readiness: Secure mineral supplies reduce vulnerabilities for strategic technologies and defence equipment.