Lithium found in J&K ‘of best quality’: Report | Latest News India

The country’s first lithium reserve found in Jammu and Kashmir is of prime quality, a senior government official said here on Saturday, as optimistic villagers expressed hope the discovery will bring them a bright future.

The 5.9 million tonne reserve of lithium, a crucial mineral for the manufacture of electric vehicles and solar panels, had been discovered in Reasi district by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

“Lithium falls into the critical resource category that was previously unavailable in India and we depended on its 100 percent import. GSI’s G3 study (advanced) shows the presence of the best quality lithium in abundance in the foothills of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Salal village (Reasi),” JK Mines Minister Amit Sharma told PTI.

Read more | India’s first lithium find: 5 facts about the ‘cosmic’ metal key to EV boost

He said that as opposed to the normal grade of 220 parts per million (PPM), the lithium found at J&K has a grade of over 500 ppm and with a reserve of 5.9 million tonnes, India will exceed China in availability.

“India joined a select group of countries on a global scale after this statement and will fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Sufficient India),” he said.

Sharma said that lithium is widespread and its discovery under India’s G20 presidency provides an opportunity for JK to showcase its rich reserves.

When asked about the potential timeline for starting extraction, he said each project takes its own time. “We had a study at the G3 level and now a G2 and G1 study will follow before the final extraction of the metal.”

“Everything is being done as quickly as possible and we will work with GSI and offer our full support for this historic feat,” he said.

The official assured people that the reserve will be a turning point for them as local youth are given preference in any project according to the government’s industrial policy.

“The local youth, whether educated, semi-skilled or unskilled, will be part of this project. People who will be affected by this project will be adequately compensated and rehabilitated according to the rules,” he said.

The people in the surrounding villages are enthusiastic about the discovery.

“It’s a very happy moment for all of us and we’re proud. After the railway projects and Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine which are an important source of employment for the local people, this project will be a turning point for us. said Deputy Salal MP Sarpanch Rajinder Singh.

Salal is home to the Salal Hydroelectric Power Station, a run-of-river power station on the Chenab River. Salal is on the way to the under-construction paradigmatic Chenab railway bridge with a height of 359 meters, 30 meters higher than the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Jaspal Singh, another villager who claimed to have worked as a laborer with the GSI survey team, said they had been surveying the hills for the past two years and returned about three months ago.

“We are happy to be part of this project which will create numerous employment opportunities for local people. We salute the hard work of the survey team, especially given the challenging situation during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic,” he said, adding, “one of the team members died during the survey.”

Senior Democratic Azad Party (DAP) leader and former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma congratulated the people on the lithium reserve discovery and called on the government to ensure local youth get employment in the project.

“The industry for mining the metal should be developed in Reasi and the local people should be involved,” said the former member of the Reasi Legislative Assembly.

He said there is also a need to fully explore the lower Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir.