The country’s first lithium reserve, in Jammu and Kashmir, is of the best quality, a senior government official told PTI on Saturday, as upbeat villagers expressed hope the discovery will bring them a bright future.
The 5.9-million ton reserve of lithium, a crucial mineral for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and solar panels, had been discovered in Reasi district by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
“Lithium falls in the critical resource category which was not earlier.
Lithium falls in the critical resource category which was not earlier available in India and we were dependent for its 100 percent import. The G3 (advanced) study of the GSI shows the presence of best quality lithium in abundant quantity in the foothills of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Salal village (Reasi),” J-K Mining Amit Secretary Sharma told PTI.
He said against the normal grade of 220 parts per million (PPM), the lithium found in J&K is of 500 ppm-plus grading, and with a stockpile of 5.9 million tons, India will surpass China in its availability.
“India joined a select group of countries at the global level after this finding and it will fulfil the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India),” he said.
Sharma said lithium has widespread usage and its discovery at a time of India’s G20 presidency provides an opportunity for J-K to showcase its rich reserves.
