Avinav Verma
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir has significant deposits of lithium, sapphire, limestone, graphite, lignite and marble, but difficult terrain, poor connectivity, extreme weather and delays in statutory and forest clearances continue to slow the exploration of its mineral wealth, a Parliamentary panel has observed.
The 260th Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, presented to the Rajya Sabha and laid in the Lok Sabha on August 7, has called for faster exploration, better infrastructure and greater value addition within the Union Territory.
The report highlights the scale of the challenge particularly in lithium exploration, where preliminary mapping and sampling have been completed.
Exploration in areas above 4,300 metres is constrained by extreme weather and a working season of only about three months, while a 42-km stretch lacks road connectivity.
The Mining Department has identified road construction and advanced geophysical surveys as necessary for taking lithium exploration forward.
The picture is more advanced for some other minerals. The Salal-Haimana limestone block is at the G-2 stage, with estimated resources of 3.29 million tonnes, while the Kotla block is at G-3 stage, with 1.17 million tonnes of estimated resources.
In graphite, 12 blocks covering 49.65 hectares have been delineated and detailed drilling by MECL is underway.
J&K’s Nichahom lignite block in Kupwara has tentative resources of nine million tonnes, while marble resources have been estimated at 26.81 million tonnes.
Sapphire exploration has also progressed, with blocks identified and submitted for e-auction. The Ministry of Mines is undertaking the e-auction process for 12 blocks.
The panel, however, cautioned that infrastructure constraints, difficult geological conditions, short working seasons and delays in statutory and forest clearances could impede the pace of exploration and mining.
It recommended time-bound statutory and forest clearances, stronger infrastructure and advanced exploration technologies to accelerate mineral exploration.
The Committee also warned against merely extracting raw minerals, stressing the need for local value addition, mineral-based industries and skill development so that the mineral wealth translates into jobs, investment and industrial growth within J&K.
The report was prepared after the Committee’s study visit to Jammu, Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Kargil from May 11 to 15, 2026. The Committee, chaired by Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, relied substantially on presentations and replies furnished by the J&K .
