The coalition government said on Thursday it had discovered 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves in the Jammu and Kashmir region for the first time.
Lithium, a non-ferrous metal, is one of the key components of electric vehicle batteries.
“The Geological Survey of India has for the first time identified an Inferred Resource (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes of Lithium in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi region of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Ministry of Mines said on Thursday.
It has further handed over 51 mineral blocks, including lithium and gold, to the respective state governments.
“Of these 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks are related to gold and other blocks are related to commodities such as potash, molybdenum, base metals, etc., distributed in Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhatti Sgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, 11 states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana,” the ministry added .
These blocks were prepared based on work done by GSI from the 2018-19 field season to the present.
In addition to this, 17 reports on coal and lignite resources of 7.897 billion tons were also handed over to the Ministry of Coal.
Seven publications on different topics and areas of intervention for GSI operations were also launched during the meeting.
“Proposed annual plans for the ensuing 2023-24 field season were presented and discussed during the meeting. Over the next 2023-24, GSI will undertake 966 projects comprising 318 mineral exploration projects, including 12 marine mineral surveys project,” the ministry further said.
The Geological Survey of India has 115 strategic and critical mineral projects and 16 fertilizer mineral projects.
“55 geoinformatics projects, 140 basic and multidisciplinary earth science projects and 155 training and institutional capacity building projects have also been adopted,” the Ministry of Mines said.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was established in 1851 to find coal for railways. After years of development, GSI has not only developed into a geoscience information resource bank required by various fields in China, but also achieved the status of an internationally renowned geoscience organization.
Its primary functions involve the creation and updating of national geoscience information and mineral resource assessments. These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, aerial and marine surveys, mineral exploration and surveys, multidisciplinary geosciences, geotechnical technology, Earth environment and natural hazard studies, glaciology, seismic tectonic studies and the conduct of basic research.
GSI’s primary responsibilities include providing objective, unbiased and up-to-date geological expertise and a variety of geoscientific information with a focus on decision-making and business and socio-economic needs.
First published date: Feb 10, 2023 at 08:41 AM CST
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