20 blocks of critical minerals, including J&K reserves, put up for auction
India on Tuesday initiated the process to auction 20 blocks of critical minerals, including the 5.9-million-tonne (mt) lithium reserves discovered in Jammu & Kashmir’s Reasi district.
Speaking at the launch of the auction process in New Delhi, Union Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the collective value of these blocks was estimated at Rs 45,000 crore.
Besides Lithium, the critical minerals on offer are titanium, bauxite (aluminous laterite), glauconite, nickel, chromium, potash, copper, graphite, manganese ore, molybdenum ore, phosphorite, platinum group elements (PGE), and rare earth elements (REE). These are used in sectors like renewable energy, defence, and agriculture.
