Question

Difficulty: Very hardExplicit and Fact-Based Information Extraction

Read the following passage carefully:

'In February 2026, the Ministry of Mines issued the implementation Framework for the Critical Mineral Processing Subvention Scheme (CMPSS). Under Section 4(b) of the framework, financial capital subvention up to 25% of total plant machinery costs—capped strictly at ₹150 crore per processing unit—is available exclusively to domestic private entities and state public sector undertakings establishing heavy rare-earth element (HREE) refining facilities. However, processing units engaged solely in light rare-earth element (LREE) separation are excluded from capital subvention, though they remain eligible for a 3% interest subvention on operational working capital loans drawn from scheduled commercial banks. Furthermore, to qualify under Section 4(b), an applicant entity must have secured a minimum 10-year raw material off-take agreement with either a licensed Indian offshore mining concessionaire or an approved International Seabed Authority contractor. Facilities operating inside notified Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are explicitly prohibited from claiming dual benefits under CMPSS if they already avail of export-oriented tariff exemptions under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.'

Based strictly on the explicit information provided in the passage, which of the following statements are correct?

  1. Processing units engaged exclusively in light rare-earth element separation cannot claim capital subvention on plant machinery costs under the CMPSS framework.Answer
  2. B
    Domestic private entities establishing heavy rare-earth element refining facilities in Special Economic Zones can combine CMPSS capital subvention with Foreign Trade Policy export-oriented tariff exemptions.
  3. To qualify for capital subvention under Section 4(b), an applicant entity must possess a raw material off-take agreement spanning at least 10 years with a licensed Indian offshore mining concessionaire or an approved International Seabed Authority contractor.Answer
  4. D
    Facilities engaged solely in light rare-earth element separation are completely barred from receiving any interest subvention on working capital loans.

Answer

The statement specifying that exclusive light rare-earth element separation units are excluded from capital subvention, and the statement requiring a minimum 10-year off-take agreement with a licensed offshore concessionaire or International Seabed Authority contractor, are both correct.
The passage explicitly outlines two key facts: first, units engaged solely in light rare-earth element separation are excluded from capital subvention; second, applicants must have secured a minimum 10-year raw material off-take agreement with either a licensed Indian offshore mining concessionaire or an approved International Seabed Authority contractor.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the conditions for Light Rare-Earth Element (LREE) units
LREE units are explicitly excluded from capital subvention but remain eligible for a 3% working capital interest subvention.
Verifies the claims regarding LREE separation facilities.
2
Analyze the SEZ dual-benefit prohibition
SEZ facilities claiming Foreign Trade Policy export-oriented tariff exemptions are explicitly forbidden from combining them with CMPSS subvention benefits.
Evaluates the validity of combining tariff exemptions with CMPSS.
3
Evaluate the raw material off-take qualification criteria under Section 4(b)
Applicants must possess a minimum 10-year off-take agreement with a licensed Indian offshore concessionaire or an approved International Seabed Authority contractor.
Directly matches the explicit 10-year requirement stated in the text.
4
Synthesize the correct statements
Statements regarding LREE capital subvention exclusion and the 10-year off-take mandate are strictly supported by the text.
Finalizes the selection of valid factual statements.

Key Concept

Explicit and Fact-Based Information Extraction
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