India Unleashing Intensive Exploration For Vital Critical Minerals

India has kicked its exploration efforts into high gear, intensively targeting the discovery of critical and strategic minerals like lithium, rare earth elements, vanadium, and more. In a proactive move, these explorations have reached the G4 stage, signalling the commencement of reconnaissance surveys aimed at pinpointing prime locations for further in-depth studies.

Highlighted in the Geographical Survey of India’s (GSI) Field Season 2023-24 report, lithium exploration initiatives are actively underway across three states: the Korba district in Chhattisgarh; South Garo Hills and East Garo Hills in Meghalaya; and Jammu, encompassing Ramban, Resai, Rajouri, and Udhampur. Notably, the substantial lithium reserve of 5.9 million tonnes has, to date, been exclusively identified in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir. This non-ferrous alkali mineral, coveted for its role in powering electric vehicles through lithium-ion batteries, is becoming increasingly critical.

Ambitious efforts are underway under the vigilant watch of the Mineral Exploration and Consultation (MECL), operating under the Union Ministry of Mines. These encompass the exploration of lithium and potassium under the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), with the spotlight on the Merak block within the Union Territory of Leh. A journey that embarked in 2021-22 has now reached the G4 stage, indicative of steady progress.

With around 50 ongoing explorations dedicated to rare earth elements (REE), India’s quest for mineral wealth is undeniable. A prominent highlight of the exploration landscape is the dedicated search for vanadium, which saw a surge in exploration activity in the preceding year, spanning locations such as Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.