• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) said lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu & Kashmir.

• Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the key components in batteries of electric vehicles.

• Upon exploration by the GSI, lithium reserves have been found in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district in Jammu & Kashmir.

• Earlier, the mines ministry had said that to strengthen the critical mineral supply chain for emerging technologies, the government was taking several proactive measures to secure minerals, including lithium, from Australia and Argentina.

• Currently, India is import-dependent for many minerals like lithium, nickel and cobalt.

Importance of lithium

• Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have applications in energy storage system - from hearing aid to container sized batteries to power a cluster of villages, electric vehicles, portable electronic sector, grid storage, telecom and telecommunication towers, medical devices, household and office power backup (UPS), powering robots in the processing industry. 

• Lithium-ion batteries can power any electrical application without the need of physical wires.

• In 2019, three researchers won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for the development of lithium-ion batteries, paving the way for smartphones and a fossil fuel-free society.

The Geological Survey of India

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways. Over the years, GSI has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute. 

• Its main functions relate to creating and updating of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment. These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonic study and carrying out fundamental research.

• GSI’s core competence in survey and mapping is continuously enhanced through accretion, management, coordination and utilisation of spatial databases (including those acquired through remote sensing). 

• GSI uses the latest computer-based technologies for dissemination of geoscientific information and spatial data, through cooperation and collaboration with other stakeholders in the geo-informatics sector.

• Headquartered in Kolkata, GSI is an attached office to the ministry of mines and has regional offices in Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Shillong. GSI also has unit offices in almost all states of the country.

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