Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:
In March 2026, the Ministry of Mines released the operational guidelines for the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM). The guidelines state that direct capital subsidies of up to 25% shall be extended exclusively to public sector undertakings (PSUs) establishing domestic processing plants for deep-seated critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt. Private enterprises, while ineligible for direct capital subsidies, are granted a 100% concession on import duties for specialized processing machinery, provided they achieve a minimum local value-addition threshold of 40% within 24 months of commencing commercial operations. Furthermore, the guidelines mandate that all domestic refining facilities, regardless of ownership, must allocate at least 5% of their annual net refined output to the Strategic Mineral Reserve (SMR). However, offshore processing units operated by Indian joint ventures in partner nations are explicitly exempted from this SMR contribution quota, provided they export no less than 60% of their refined output back to India.
Based strictly on the explicit information provided in the passage, which of the following statements is correct regarding the NCMM guidelines?
- Private processing entities can receive a 100% import duty concession on specialized machinery if they fulfill the 40% local value-addition condition within two years of commercial operations.Answer
- BBoth public sector undertakings and private enterprises are eligible for up to 25% direct capital subsidies for establishing domestic processing plants.
- CAll offshore mineral processing units operated by Indian joint ventures must contribute 5% of their net refined output to the Strategic Mineral Reserve.
- DPrivate mineral processing entities are denied capital subsidies because private ownership of critical minerals poses a threat to national security.