Syllabus: GS-I, Subject: Geography, Topic: Resources – World and India, Issue: Critical Minerals
Context: The Ministry of Mines discuss opportunities for the mining of critical minerals by Indian companies in Sri Lanka and Australia.
Sri Lanka:
- Significant reserves of vein graphite, a highly pure form of natural graphite.
- Graphite is a critical mineral that is extensively used as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries.
- Graphite in India is largely concentrated in Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Jharkhand
Australia :
- Produces almost half of the world’s lithium and is the second-largest producer of cobalt.
- Both lithium and cobalt are used in Electric Vehicles and consumer electronics.
Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL): A joint venture company established by the Government of India in 2019.
Objective: To identify, acquire, develop, process, and commercially utilise strategic minerals in overseas locations for supply to India. |
Prelims Connect: Lithium Triangle: