Subhechcha Ganguly 
The Geological Survey of India discovered 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time in the nation, according to a statement from the Union Government on Thursday (GSI).The country with the biggest reserves currently is Chile, with 8 million tonnes, followed by Australia with 2.7 million, Argentina with 2 million, and China with a million tonnes.The Ministry of Mines announced on Thursday that “Geological Survey of India 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.”
Non-ferrous metal lithium is one of the essential elements of EV batteries. It further stated that state governments received 51 mineral parcels, including lithium and gold.Only a minor reserve of minerals had previously been found in Karnataka, making this the first important mineral find in India.The discovery is credited to the mines ministry’s recent emphasis on rare earths.According to Vivek Bhardwaj, secretary of the Ministry of Mines, “We have re-oriented our exploration methods towards essential and strategic minerals and this discovery is a validation of our efforts.”
The government is looking for rare metal sources both inside and outside of the country because lithium is a crucial component of batteries used in electric vehicles.According to the ministry, there are 51 mineral blocks spread across 11 states, including Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Of these 51 mineral blocks, five are related to gold and the other blocks are related to commodities like potash, molybdenum, base metals, etc.The blocks were made based on the work done by GSI from the field seasons of 2018–19 up until this point. In addition to this, 17 reports of coal and lignite totaling 7897 million tonnes were given to the coal ministry. 115 projects on strategic & important minerals and 16 projects on fertiliser minerals have been developed by the Geological Survey of India.The blocks were made based on the work done by GSI from the field seasons of 2018–19 up until this point. In addition to this, 17 reports of coal and lignite totaling 7897 million tonnes were given to the coal ministry. 115 projects on strategic & important minerals and 16 projects on fertiliser minerals have been developed by the Geological Survey of India.
