Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy addressed the Plenary Session of Battery Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, underscoring the central government's push to align domestic mining policy with India's fast-expanding battery and electric vehicle ecosystem.

Context

The Battery Summit 2026 brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and technology stakeholders to deliberate on battery manufacturing, critical mineral supply chains, and India's energy transition roadmap. Kishan Reddy's participation as a plenary speaker signals the Ministry of Coal and Mines' increasingly prominent role in the country's clean-energy ambitions.

India's battery sector sits at the intersection of mining and manufacturing policy — two domains that fall squarely within the minister's portfolio. His address is expected to have covered the government's strategy for linking domestic mineral extraction to battery cell production.

Policy Backdrop

The Union Cabinet approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells in 2021, committing public funds to catalyse domestic battery manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports. The scheme targets 50 GWh of domestic cell manufacturing capacity.

Complementing this, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023 introduced dedicated provisions for the auction of critical and strategic minerals — including lithium, cobalt, and nickel — the core inputs for modern battery chemistries. Successive Union Budgets since 2021 have deepened this policy architecture, prioritising exploration and block auctions to build a vertically integrated EV value chain on Indian soil.

The Ministry of Coal and Mines has framed both its coal and non-coal mining mandates as complementary enablers of the energy transition, positioning mineral-rich states as future supply anchors for the battery industry.

Stakeholders and Impact

The summit's audience — spanning EV manufacturers, battery producers, and mining companies — stands to be directly shaped by any policy signals the minister may have offered. Domestic battery makers are keenly watching the pace of critical mineral block auctions and the evolution of domestic content requirements that could tilt procurement in their favour.

For Telangana, where Kishan Reddy also serves as BJP state president, the summit carries added political salience: the state has significant mineral assets and an emerging manufacturing corridor that could benefit from central policy nudges on battery supply chains.

Global battery chemistry trends — particularly the shift toward lithium iron phosphate cells and sodium-ion alternatives — have intensified the urgency for India to secure raw material access, making forums like Battery Summit 2026 a key arena for shaping industry consensus.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the outcomes of upcoming critical mineral block auctions and any fresh guidelines on battery recycling or domestic content norms that the ministry may issue in the months ahead. The government's ability to translate summit-level policy intent into auction timelines and investor-ready frameworks will determine how quickly India can close the gap with established battery manufacturing hubs in China, South Korea, and the United States.

As India races toward its 2030 EV adoption targets, the convergence of mining reform and manufacturing incentives — with ministers like Kishan Reddy at the interface — will be a defining variable in whether the country builds a self-sufficient battery value chain or remains reliant on imported cells.