Arteev Sharma
Jammu: Against the backdrop of Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s “premature celebration” jibe at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, the Union Government today acknowledged that the second auction for lithium blocks in Jammu and Kashmir was recently annulled due to a lack of bids.
Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, while responding to a question of Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raut in the Rajya Sabha, confirmed that that the Salal-Haimna Lithium, Titanium, and Bauxite (Aluminous Laterite) block has been explored up to the G3 level but “the second attempt of the auction of the block has been annulled due to non-receipt of bids”.
The Minister, however, said, “Mineral samples collected by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) from the block have been sent to IBM, Nagpur, and IMMT, Bhubaneshwar, for conducting beneficiation studies”.
“Apart from the already explored Salal- Haimna block, two more preliminary exploration (G3 stage) projects on lithium in Salal East and Panasa areas of Reasi district have been taken up by GSI in 2024-25,” he further said.
Asked about the timeline for awarding mining rights for lithium in Jammu and Kashmir, Reddy said, “The auction of Lithium blocks in J&K is dependent on the reports of ongoing exploration investigations”.
On November 30, Jairam Ramesh while criticizing the Central government for delaying auctions of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir said that companies were reluctant to bid due to insufficient exploration data.
“In November 2023, the first auctions were held, but the minimum requirement of three bids was not met, leading to the cancellation of the auction. A second round of auctions was announced in March 2024, but by July 2024, it was revealed that not a single bid had been received,” the Congress leader had said in a post on ‘X’.
He had further said, “The reluctance of companies to bid was straightforward: the exploration data was highly insufficient. Now, auctions are planned after at least six months, but it could take even longer. This reflects the headline-driven approach of the Modi government–a case of premature celebration!”
In February 2023, the central government announced the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first such find in the country.
“This is for the first time that Lithium reserves have been discovered in the country and that too in Jammu and Kashmir,” Union Mines Secretary, Vivek Bharadwaj had said while speaking at the 62nd Central Geological Programming Board meeting in New Delhi on February 10, 2023.
On May 2, 2023, Bharadwaj announced that auctions for the lithium reserves in Reasi would begin by December 2023.
Lithium, a non-ferrous metal, is a crucial component in electric vehicle batteries and other industries.
