The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has found evidence of lithium deposits in two districts of Karnataka, according to a PIB press release.
The AMD has identified 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources in the Mandya district, specifically in the Marlagalla area. These findings add to the lithium deposits discovered in the geological domains of Korba in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh. The government is also exploring the potential of lithium deposits in the Pegmatite belts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh stated, “The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in Himachal Pradesh, has led to the identification of surface uranium occurrence in Masanbal, Hamirpur district.”
He clarified that the Atomic Energy Commission has not conducted any study to establish an atomic energy plant in Himachal Pradesh and that no proposal to collaborate with foreign vendors or countries is under consideration at present.