Source : PTI | Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday he was hopeful that India would be able to meet the demand for critical minerals like lithium from within the country in three-four years. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the celebrations of 175 years of the Geological Survey of India in Kolkata, he said the National Critical Mineral Mission is aimed at boosting mining of minerals like lithium.
“We need lithium for batteries of mobile phones, and for solar panels. In the next three-four years, we are hopeful that we can meet the demand for critical minerals like lithium from within the country and it will be of great help,” he said.
The minister said approval has come for spending “Rs 32,000 crore for the critical mineral mission”.
He said GSI is playing an important role in meeting the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission.
It will help India achieve the top spot in mineral exploration by 2047 to realise the mission of ‘Viksit Bharat’, he said.
Reddy said the GSI is working in collaboration with Argentina on five Lithium blocks in the Latin American country.
He said that since its inception in 1851, when the GSI was set up by the British to explore coal reserves, it has traversed a long way — exploring different kinds of minerals and natural gas.
“Not only exploration of minerals, GSI has played a critical role in dam construction, tunneling, preserving heritage, and disaster preparedness,” he said.
