Govt scraps auction of J&K lithium mine

New Delhi, July 28

The government has scrapped the auction of three critical mineral blocks, including a lithium mine in Jammu and Kashmir, under the third tranche of sale of mines due to a lower-than-required number of bidders.

The auction is a part of the government’s push towards cleaner alternatives and self-reliance in critical mineral supplies.

The three blocks are Salal-Haimna Lithium, Titanium and Bauxite (Aluminous Laterite) Block in Jammu and Kashmir, Muskaniya-Gareriatola-Barwari Potash block in Jharkhand and Kurunjakulam Graphite block in Tamil Nadu.

The auction was annulled as the “required number of bids as per the mineral auction rules have not been received”, according to a notice by the Mines Ministry.

The ministry, on March 14, put on sale seven critical mineral blocks in the third round of auction. The blocks that received less than three bids in the first tranche were notified under this round.

These seven blocks pertain to critical minerals such as Glauconite, Graphite, Nickel, PGE, Potash, Lithium, and Titanium and are spread across the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.