Anand Mahindra lauds India's scientific prowess, celebrates discovery of new lithium reserves in Rajasthan

Following the discovery of lithium reserves in Rajasthan yesterday, business tycoon Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, took to Twitter to celebrate the discovery, stating that the discovery would open up new possibilities and opportunities for the country. 

“Finally. We have sizeable reserves of a natural resource critical for growth in the 21st century. A signal that India has an ‘electrifying future.’   But the key element in the supply chain is refining, not reserves, where China has a huge lead. We need to step up quickly to install that capacity,” the Mahindra Chairman tweeted. 

The lithium reserves were discovered in Renvat Hill in Degana, Rajasthan, on May 8. Authorities at the Mining and Geological Survey of India believe this lithium reserve can cover 80 per cent of the country’s demands.

This discovery comes on the trail of another from February of this year. The reserve, discovered in Jammu and Kashmir, has 5.9 tonnes of lithium deposits. The reserve in Rajasthan comparatively is much larger. 

Lithium, the third element in the periodic table, is an alkali metal and is essential for the effective functioning of any country. It is used in rechargeable batteries that we see in our phones, laptops, and cameras, as well as electric motors such as scooters, bikes or cars. It is also used in the production of pacemakers used by people with heart ailments. Lithium is also used in the production of heat-resistant glass.

This recent discovery in Degana will also further cut down the dependency of India on China when it comes to lithium imports. India also deals with Taiwan and Argentina to import lithium. These reserves also further the gap between the amount of lithium resources the two South Asian countries possess and is likely to put an end to the lithium monopoly in the world.

The discovery location being Rajasthan provides the ample benefit of being far away from the contentious Line of Control (LoC), something that the reserve in Jammu and Kashmir did not have the luxury to provide. This will allow authorities to mine the area with greater efficiency and minimal risk compared to its J&K counterpart. 

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