Govt cancels auction of three mineral blocks including J&K’s lithium mine

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NEW DELHI, JULY 28: The Jammu and Kashmir’s lithium mine is among three critical mineral blocks in the country whose auction has been scrapped by the government in view of lower than required number of bidders.

These blocks include 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 cancelled 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, had 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.