New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that if India can use the recently discovered reserve of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir, it will become the number one automobile manufacturing country in the world.

Encouraging public transport is the need of the hour, he said, adding that eElectric buses are the future. Every year, we have to import 1,200 tonnes of lithium.” He was addressing an event organised by industry body CII here on Friday.

"In Jammu and Kashmir, we got lithium reserves. The estimated 5.9-million tonne reserve of lithium, a crucial mineral for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and solar panels, if used, will make us number one automobile manufacturing country in the world," Gadkari said.

India has already beaten Japan to become the third largest vehicle market in 2022 after China and the USA.

According to Gadkari, presently India's automobile industry is worth Rs 7.5 lakh crore, and the sector's contribution to the overall GST revenue is maximum. Lithium falls in the critical resource category, which was not earlier available in India and we were dependent for its 100 per cent import.

“The G3 (advanced) study of the GSI shows the presence of best quality lithium in abundant quantities in the foothills of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Salal village (Reasi)," J&K Mining Secretary Amit Sharma said.

Gadkari further noted that good infrastructure is needed for the development of any country. "With our innovative approach, we can develop the backward area, increase the growth rate and at the same time create employment potential," he said.

The Union Minister also asked industry leaders to invest in vehicle scrapping. Gadkari also stressed on the need of reducing India's logistics cost to single digit by 2024 from 16 per cent of GDP presently. /BI/