India Discovers New Lithium Reserves in Rajasthan

The reserves in Degana, Rajasthan are reportedly higher than the ones discovered in J&K and have the potential to cater to 80 percent of the demand in the country.

May 08, 2023. By Anurima Mondal

India has discovered new lithium reserves in Rajasthan's Degana municipality of Nagaur district. The traces found in the state allegedly have the potential to cater to 80 percent of the demand in the country. Earlier this year, similar reserves were found in the Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). However, the reserves in Rajasthan are reportedly higher than the ones discovered in J&K.

According to the Ministry of Mines, around 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves were discovered in Jammu and Kashmir. Talking about the reserves, road, transport and highway minister Nitin Gadkari claimed that India can become the number one automobile manufacturer by using the newly found lithium reserve. In such times, finding another lithium reserve is a matter of immense joy for the electric vehicle industry.

Lithium is an important element in producing batteries that power electric vehicles. It falls in the critical resource category, as it is not available in the country. We import lithium from countries like Australia, Chile, and Argentina. The discovery of the two lithium reserves could mean that India would no longer have to rely on imports. The extraction and further process would, however, take at least a few years.

Meanwhile, India is betting big on electric vehicles with the government aiming for 30 percent EV penetration by 2030.

Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the most in-demand minerals in the world today. Besides electric vehicles, it is also used in mobiles, smartphones, pacemakers, etc.

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Nitin Gadkari

Lithium Reserves in Rajasthan