The geological Survey of India has for the first time established Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
"For the first time, lithium reserves have been discovered, and that too in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," Mines Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj said.
Upon exploration by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), lithium reserves have been found in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The lithium deposits are very critical for India as the government has been focussing on electric cars, especially in the metro cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and others.
Earlier, the mines ministry had said that to strengthen the critical mineral supply chain for emerging technologies, the government was taking several proactive measures to secure minerals, including lithium, from Australia and Argentina. Currently, India is import-dependent on many minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
The Ministry of Mines further stated that 51 mineral blocks including Lithium and Gold were handed over to the state governments.
Importance of Lithium
The most important use of lithium is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles.
Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys, and clocks.
Earlier, the mines ministry had said that to strengthen the critical mineral supply chain for emerging technologies, the government was taking several proactive measures to secure minerals, including Lithium, from Australia and Argentina. Currently, India is import-dependent on many minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
Speaking at the 62nd Central Geological Programming board meeting here, Bharadwaj also said that whether it is a mobile phone or a solar panel, critical minerals are required everywhere. In order to become self-reliant, it is very important for the country to find critical minerals and process them, he said.
51 mineral blocks including lithium and gold were handed over to state governments
51 mineral blocks including Lithium and Gold were handed over to the state governments during the 62nd Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting held today.
Out of these 51 mineral blocks, five blocks pertain to gold and other blocks pertain to commodities like potash, molybdenum, base metals, etc. spread across 11 states of Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. The blocks were prepared based on the work carried out by GSI from field seasons 2018-19 to till date.
Apart from these, 17 reports of coal and lignite with a total resource of 7897 million tonnes were also handed over to the Ministry of Coal.
