Draft:Jammu and Kashmir lithium reserves

Jammu and Kashmir has one of the largest known lithium reserves in the world. On 13 February 2023, the Government of India's Ministry of Mines announced that the Geological Survey of India had discovered 5.9 million tonnes lithium ore, in the Himalayan foothills at Salal-Haimana, Reasi a few kilometres northwest of Bhimgarh castle. The single finding alone ranked it at the time as 7th largest known reserve in the world. Jammuite lithium is high grade 500 ppm. Standard values of the element's concentration for commercially viable mining operations range from 100 to 200 ppm.

Stalled Auction
On 2 May 2024, Ministry of Mines secretary Vivek Bharadwaj announced that an auction to assign mining rights was planned on priority basis by December 2024. Former minister and JKNPP president Harsh Dev Singh, challenged the legal premise, upon which the federal government planned to assign mineral rights valued at approximately US$500 billion (half a trillion dollars). On 29 May 2023, Harsh Dev, alongside Ankit Love, in a televised press conference stated that in accordance to Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957, only a federated state or union territory government had the lawful right to hold auctions and assign mining concessions for minerals found on land. Regrettably, Jammu and Kashmir had no democratically elected state legislature, which had been dismissed by decree under prime minister Modi, imposing president's rule on Jammu and Kashmir in July 2019.

The JKNPP leaders accused the Indian government of attempting an autocratic theft of mineral resources belonging to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. They demanded that any auction for the lithium be delayed till after democratic elections were held in the state, which the central government had unconstitutionally delayed for over 3 years. On 13 May, JKNPP leaders had filed a plea in the Supreme Court of India against the Election Commission of India, to restore the democratic process, and perviously numerous high profile elected officials had been placed under house arrest at the time, including Harsh Dev, who was detained by the police for over 2 months.

Background
Three years prior the central government in August had passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, which revoked Article 370 that granted a special autonomous status and constitution to Jammu and Kashmir, and led to an imposition of a very strict marital curfew including the suspension of internet services during the 2019–2021 Jammu and Kashmir lockdown. After dismissing the elected state government, Election Commission of India redrew the electoral map and a process of delimitation changed the constituency boundaries and regulations. Lithium rich Reasi district was moved out of Udhampur parliamentary constituency which was won by JKNPP founder Bhim Singh prior. Further, Harsh Dev Singh was barred from being able to stand election again in the near by Ramnagar constituency, where he had perviously been elected as MLA for 18 years continuously, as it had been reserved for candidates from lower caste backgrounds.