Lithium found in J&K: here’s how to turn it into a catalyst for India’s clean-energy mission

PTI

The lithium India was importing, and spending huge forex on, is in its backyard. Can the country mine the 'white gold'?

Synopsis
The 5.9 million tonnes of high-quality lithium reserves discovered in Jammu and Kashmir can be a game changer for India. However, the hard work starts now to convert it into a commercially viable resource. Unless the capital and infrastructure necessary are deployed, the mere discovery may not bring significant gains.

Lithium is by far the most important metal in the chemistry of things to shift from polluting fossil fuels to cleaner power sources. It’s the key metal that goes into rechargeable batteries that power smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, consumer-electronic devices, and more. Lithium will reduce dependence on polluting fuels, accelerating the shift to cleaner, near-zero emission batteries. For long, India and most of the countries