India discovers huge deposits of Lithium critical for electric mobility

India's mining ministry announcedon Thursday that the country has found massive5.9 million tonnes of Lithium deposits in the country's north in Jammu and Kashmir.Geological Survey of Indiafor the first time established Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu andKashmir, over 650 km north of Indian national capital New Delhi.

Discovery of Lithium: Why is it critical?

The lithium deposits are critical for India as the country puts its focuson electric mobility for both public and private transport, especiallyin the country's prime cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai.

India's Ministry of Mines further stated that 51 mineral blocks including Lithium and Gold were handed over to respective state governments.

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Out of the 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks are of gold. Other blocks pertain to commodities like potash, molybdenum, and base metalsspread across Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

In this financial year, India will take up 966 mining programs, including 318 mineral exploration projects and12 marine mineral investigation projects.

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The Geological Survey of India has formulated 115 projects on strategic and critical minerals and 16 projects on fertiliser minerals.

"55 programmes on geoinformatics, 140 programmes on fundamental and multidisciplinary geosciences, and 155 programs for training and institutional capacity building have also been taken up,"the Mines ministry stated.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was establishedin 1851 to serve British interests in exploring coal deposits for the expansion of the railway network in the country. After independence in 1947, it has come under the ambit of the mining ministry and also serves as the topscientific base for geological explorations.

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