The Indian government has unveiled a series of initiatives to enhance water supply, sewage treatment, and solid waste management in 100 large cities. While presenting the Union Budget for 2024-25 on July 23, country’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that these projects aim to create bankable solutions, utilising treated water for irrigation and replenishing local water bodies.

“In partnership with state governments and multilateral development banks, we will promote water supply, sewage treatment, and solid waste management projects and services for 100 large cities through bankable projects,” said Sitharaman. 

Critical Mineral Mission

The government will introduce the Critical Minerals Mission to strengthen the nation's resource security. This initiative focuses on boosting domestic production and recycling of critical minerals and securing their acquisition from international markets. As part of this mission, customs duties on 25 critical minerals have been waived, with a reduction in the basic customs duty (BCD) on two additional minerals.

The Finance Minister, in her Budget speech, said, “We will set up a Critical Mineral Mission for domestic production, recycling of critical minerals, and overseas acquisition of critical mineral assets. Its mandate will include technology development, a skilled workforce, an extended producer responsibility framework, and a suitable financing mechanism.”

Highlighting the crucial role of minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements, Sitharaman noted their significance in sectors including nuclear energy, renewable energy, space, defense, telecommunications, and high-tech electronics. These minerals are essential components in almost all electronic gadgets – ranging from laptops to electric cars.  

Implementation of EPR

The Critical Minerals Mission will involve several strategic components including the development of new technologies, promotion of recycling and implementation of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, holding producers accountable for the end-of-life consequences of their products.  

The budget also placed a strong emphasis on sustainability through various initiatives such as incentives for green manufacturing and waste reduction initiatives aimed at fostering eco-friendly manufacturing practices.