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Three reasons why India is overly dependent on China for lithium

China processes over two-thirds of global lithium. Until Indian firms begin investing in lithium refineries, the raw material will continue to be exported to China for processing.

If you go by the relentless stream of headline events and claims, India under the Narendra Modi government seems all set to become self-sufficient in lithium-ion batteries, breaking free of China’s shackles and taking its rightful place in the battery-electric-vehicle revolution. But the reality is so underwhelming you’d be justified in reaching for a lithium pill to ward off depression. 

The Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, aimed at making India Atmanirbhar in advanced battery storage, has achieved less than 3 per cent of its target after five years, according to a study. In part, the gap exists because a chunk of the money was allotted to a gold exporter tainted by an alleged scam, rather than an actual battery maker. There have been zero bidders for the supposedly record-breaking lithium deposit found in Jammu and Kashmir, and no evident benefits from a slew of international agreements signed with fanfare by the Modi government.

The result: India’s lithium-ion battery imports jumped 57 per cent to $4.7 billion in 2025-26, most of it from China. The dependency increased ninefold since 2018, and it is only going to grow. 

First, outright policy failure. One reason the battery PLI failed is that one of the winners was Rajesh Exports, which is allegedly linked to Gautam Adani and has failed to produce a single watt-hour in five years. The gold firm has since been accused of a Rs 15.5 lakh crore fraud. Meanwhile, experienced battery makers like Exide Industries and Amara Raja failed to win any government subsidies, although they are much further along in their lithium-ion battery plans – clear evidence of poor policy choices by the Modi government.

Second, premature celebration. Recall how the Modi government tom-tommed the Reasi (J&K) lithium deposit as a discovery that would make India the world’s seventh largest lithium source. Yet it has failed to find a single bidder in two rounds of........

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