Geological Survey of India working on 18 lithium projects in 2022-23 as against 20 in last 5 years

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The Ministry of Mines’ Geological Survey of India (GSI) has taken up 18 projects of lithium across states' Field Season Programme (FSP) 2022-23, as against 20 projects taken up in the last five years, Pralhad Joshi, minister of mines, coal and parliamentary affairs, said in a response to a query in the Rajya Sabha.

“However, the resource of lithium has not yet been augmented by GSI,” the minister said. 

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As India moves towards clean mobility, it needs more of the element for lithium-ion batteries. Availability of lithium would be crucial for making batteries at a globally competitive price and could potentially reduce the price of electric vehicles. Currently, India does not have enough lithium reserves for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries and almost all electric vehicles in the country run on batteries imported primarily from China. 

In the last five years, GSI carried out 20 projects on lithium and associated elements in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan. In the current FSP 2022-23, GSI’s 18 projects would be spread across Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Rajasthan. 

Besides this, the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is carrying out exploration for lithium in the potential geological domains of the country. Currently, AMD is carrying out exploration for lithium in parts of Mandya and Yadgir districts in Karnataka. 

The minister reiterated that Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), a joint venture of three central public sector enterprises under the Ministry of Mines, has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with three state-owned organizations of Argentina, for the purpose of information sharing with respect to prospective mineral acreages of lithium.

Commenting on a query on government-to-government arrangements for sourcing lithium, the minister said, a pact has been signed between India and the government of Australia for co-operation in the field of mining and processing of critical and strategic minerals such as lithium.