That’s right. The government’s ₹1,500 crore push to recycle lithium batteries and recover critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel is being quietly undermined by something called “black mass.” It’s the dark, gritty powder left after shredding old batteries. Think of it as the treasure-packed sludge that should be processed locally; but instead, it’s quietly slipping out of India, mislabeled and shipped abroad. Why? Indian recyclers are stuck. We can shred 60,000+ tonnes of batteries yearly, but lack the facilities to extract the good stuff from black mass. Meanwhile, China and South Korea pay more, faster. Result? We export our future battery materials; then buy them back at higher prices. It’s like selling your gold necklace, then buying it back from a pawnshop. The fix? Clear rules (no more sneaky export codes) and fair pricing. If Indian refiners get better support, they can outbid foreign buyers; and keep our minerals where they belong. The real battle isn’t in the mines; it’s in the recycling bins.