Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Months after lithium reserves were discovered in Jammu & Kashmir, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found another reserve of the crucial mineral in Degana in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district.
It is believed that these reserves are much bigger in quantity than the one found in J&K and can meet 80 per cent of the country’s total demand.
India is import-dependent for several minerals like lithium, nickel and cobalt. Lithium is primarily used in the production of rechargeable batteries, particularly those used in electric vehicles, portable electronic devices, and power tools.
Lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density, making them a popular choice for use in devices where weight and size are important factors.
The British discovered tungsten in 1914 on Revant hill in Degana, where the lithium reserves have been found. Tungsten, a good conductor of electricity, was produced in the region and used to make war material for the British Army during the First World War.
But with China’s cheap lithium export policy and its monopoly on the mineral, tungsten production in India became expensive and was stopped in the 1990s. Now the discovery of lithium reserves in Degana can pose a challenge to China’s global lithium monopoly.
After Hanuman Beniwal became the MP from Nagaur, appeals were made to him to restart tungsten mining in Degana. The MP met the Union Minister of Mines, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, and discussed the issue. The minister said that a survey was done by GSI in 2017-18, which had revealed evidence of 1.36 MT of lithium.
