Lithium
– Photo : Amar Ujala
Expansion
Now only a government company will mine the lithium reserves found in Jammu and Kashmir. An official source in the Mining Ministry claims that two attempts at auction for lithium mining have failed. In such a situation, the ministry is considering starting mining here through a government company.
An official aware of the matter said that attempts were made twice to auction the 50.90 lakh tonnes of lithium reserves found in Jammu and Kashmir last year. The country’s first lithium reserve was discovered in Jammu and Kashmir in February 2023. It was auctioned for the first time in November last year, but the auction was canceled after not receiving the minimum three bids.
After this, the auction order was again issued in March, for which the last date was fixed as 14 May. But for the second time no one participated in the auction. After this, now it is being considered to give this work to a government company. The Ministry of Mines has refused to comment on being asked for information in this regard.
The government is emphasizing on meeting the requirement of lithium used in making batteries for electric vehicles at an affordable rate. Therefore, India has started efforts to produce lithium at domestic level as well as abroad. But, analysts have raised questions on the structure of lithium deposited in Jammu and Kashmir.