New Delhi, Dec 18: The Union Government has confirmed that the Salal-Haimana area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district holds significant resources of lithium and titanium.
According to the Ministry of Coal and Mines, G. Kisshan Reddy, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) conducted preliminary exploration (G3 stage) primarily for bauxite, during which additional resources of lithium and titanium were also identified.
The GSI has submitted mineral samples to the Indian Bureau of Mines, Nagpur, and the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, for beneficiation studies. In addition, two other preliminary exploration projects (G3 stage) for lithium are underway in the Salal East and Panasa areas of Reasi district as part of the current field season for 2024-25, he said.
Regarding the timeline for exploration and auctioning, the government has not specified a fixed period for the area to reach the G1 or G2 exploration stage, which would be necessary for the auction process and commercial mining to begin.
Efforts to reduce India’s dependence on lithium imports have been a key focus. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, has been amended through the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023, introducing major reforms in the mining sector, he said.
Reddy added the amendments include the addition of 24 critical minerals, including lithium, to the First Schedule of the MMDR Act, empowering the Central Government to auction mineral concessions exclusively for these minerals.
Also, the government has set up a joint venture company, Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), which aims to secure critical mineral assets abroad. KABIL has already acquired a 15,703-hectare area in Argentina’s Catamarca province for exploration and mining of lithium, he said. (KNO)
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