India's Mines Ministry on Thursday announced that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir.

Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the key components in EV batteries."For the first time, lithium reserves have been discovered and that too in Jammu and Kashmir," Mines Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj said.

The only metal to be borne out of the Big Bang, lithium is also the lightest metal. It produces an inflammable reaction with water - intense enough to burn flesh.

Earlier, the Mines Ministry had said that to strengthen the critical mineral supply chain for emerging technologies, the government was taking several proactive measures to secure minerals, including lithium, from Australia and Argentina.

Speaking at the 62nd Central Geological Programming board meeting here, Mr. Bharadwaj also said that whether it is a mobile phone or a solar panel, critical minerals are required everywhere.

Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the key components in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles.

Lithium-ion battery costs rose last year for the first time in the EV era, according to BloombergNEF. Elon Musk bemoaned lithium’s “insane” rally and said high raw material costs were among Tesla Inc.’s biggest headwinds.

The initiatives have piqued the interest of billionaires like Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Industries Ltd. is building an EV battery facility as part of a broader $76 billion push into clean energy.