New Delhi: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Tuesday dismissed the reports on lithium discovery in Rajasthan, stating media reports ‘baseless’.

“Media reports published in various newspapers regarding the finding of large lithium reserves by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), in Degana area, Nagaur district, Rajasthan are completely baseless and misleading,” the survey organisation said.

The survey organisation further added that no such information was given out by any regional headquarters nor by the central headquarters of the GSI, according to PTI.

With this, it is also informed that GSI is carrying out a study for tungsten, lithium and associated rare metals mineralisation in the Degana area, Nagaur district, Rajasthan from the year 2019-20 as the drilling process remains in the queue.

However, the quantity of these metals present in that region will only be cleared by officials after the completion of the drilling process and finalisation of the report.

On the other hand, it was not just media reports that made such claims, some ministers too made similar claims. Pramod Bhaya, Rajasthan Cabinet Minister for Mines, said that the GSI survey completed in the Nagaur district happens to have lithium in abundance.

The lithium reserve found in Nagaur’s Degana, “is more than Jammu and Kashmir,” said Pramod Bhaya, reported the Indian Express.

Previous Reports

Previously, it was claimed that the quantity of lithium found in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district can meet around 80 per cent of India’s demand which is now dismissed by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

Before, 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves were discovered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi in February 2023.

Quartz report

Quartz’s report says that India is the world’s fifth-largest lithium reserve just above the United States with its first discovery of lithium in bulk two years ago in Karnataka.

The report further added that until now, India has been dependent on Australia, Chile and Argentina for imports of lithium for its manufacturing sector. However, since refining lithium ore to turn it into the material to produce batteries is a hard process, India will be continuing to rely on imports for at least two years.

Why is it important?

Battery made of lithium is the only possible alternative for electric vehicles as it has a high power-to-weight ratio, which enables it to provide last long while keeping the vehicle’s curb weight low. Lithium is more energy efficient and acts better under different temperatures, making it a much safer and more reliable method than other materials.