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Cabinet Approves INR 2,814 Crore Scheme for Lithium, Nickel Processing

The Union Cabinet has approved an INR 2,814 crore capex support scheme to establish four lithium and nickel processing plants, strengthen domestic critical mineral processing and support industries such as electric mobility, battery energy storage, electronics, defence and speciality steel.

November 05, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the ‘Capex Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral Processing’ with a financial outlay of INR 2,814 crore over a period of five years.

Under the scheme, a capital subsidy of 30 percent of eligible investment will be provided for setting up four critical mineral processing plants, comprising two lithium processing plants (with a minimum capacity of 30 kt each) and two nickel processing plants (with a minimum capacity of 50 kt each). The maximum capital support will be capped at INR 500 crore per lithium beneficiary and INR 900 crore per nickel beneficiary, respectively.

The selection of beneficiaries shall be carried out through a two-stage process. In the first stage, applications shall be assessed for technical qualification, and only technically qualified applicants shall be eligible to participate in the second stage of financial bidding. For each mineral, two beneficiaries shall be selected based on the least-cost criterion, i.e., the lowest CAPEX support sought by the bidders under the Scheme. The incentives will be disbursed in three tranches linked to the achievement of specified milestones.

The scheme aims to develop domestic processing capabilities in India to support value addition within the country, reduce import dependence, and develop the value chain. The scheme targets processing of Lithium and Nickel ores/intermediary products into high-purity compounds. Cobalt is also expected to be recovered as a by-product of nickel production. This will support critical sectors such as electric mobility, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), electronics, defence, speciality steel, etc.

Processing of critical minerals remains geographically concentrated in a few global locations. This exposes supply chains to geopolitical disruptions, price volatility, and potential supply restrictions, posing severe threats to supply chain resilience and economic security. This has implications for national security, economic sovereignty, and the timely achievement of decarbonisation targets.

At present, India remains substantially dependent on imports for refined intermediates and high-purity materials, owing to the nascent stage of domestic beneficiation and processing infrastructure for critical minerals, including Lithium, Nickel, and cobalt. Domestic processing capacity for critical minerals remains limited, with commercial-scale projects facing challenges relating to high capital requirements, limited availability of suitable technologies and constrained access to raw materials. Domestic processing capacity is therefore imperative for maximising value addition, achieving import substitution, and establishing resilient end-to-end value chains.

The “Capex Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral Processing” has been formulated to provide targeted capital expenditure support for the establishment and operationalisation of domestic processing facilities.

Anurag Choudhary, CMD and CEO of Himadri Speciality Chemical, said “We wholeheartedly welcome the Government of India’s INR 2,814 crore Critical Mineral Processing Scheme, a landmark and transformative initiative that will accelerate India’s emergence as a global hub for advanced battery materials. Achieving true self-reliance in energy storage requires India to move beyond dependence on imported refined lithium and build indigenous capabilities across extraction, processing and refining."

"At Himadri, we firmly believe that the future of the battery materials industry will be shaped by control over the entire upstream value chain. Our vision goes beyond LFP cathode materials to building an integrated lithium ecosystem encompassing resource sourcing, hard-rock and brine-based extraction, processing and refining," said Choudhary.

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