Minerals and Energy
Mineral resources
| Mineral | Where |
|---|---|
| Limestone | Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kathua (for cement) |
| Gypsum | Reasi, Doda, Udhampur |
| Bauxite | Udhampur, Reasi |
| Coal | Kalakot (Rajouri) (small deposits) |
| Sapphire | Paddar (Kishtwar): famous blue sapphire (Kashmir sapphire) |
| Lithium | Salal-Haimana (Reasi): first lithium deposit in India, found by the Geological Survey of India in 2023 (about 5.9 million tonnes inferred) |
| Borax and sulphur | Puga Valley (Ladakh) (geothermal area) |
| Marble, dolomite, magnesite, granite | Various |
| Gold, copper, lead-zinc | Small occurrences |
Geothermal energy
- Puga Valley and Chumathang (Ladakh) are hot-spring areas, and ONGC and others have studied them for geothermal power.
Hydropower: the main resource
J&K has huge hydropower potential (about 20,000 MW or more). Only a fraction has been developed.
| Project | River | Capacity (MW) | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salal | Chenab | 690 | Reasi |
| Baglihar | Chenab | 900 | Ramban |
| Dulhasti | Chenab | 390 | Kishtwar |
| Uri-I | Jhelum | 480 | Baramulla |
| Uri-II | Jhelum | 240 | Baramulla |
| Kishanganga | Kishanganga | 330 | Bandipora |
| Nimoo Bazgo | Indus | 45 | Leh |
| Chutak | Suru | 44 | Kargil |
| Pakal Dul | Marusudar | 1,000 | Kishtwar (under construction) |
| Kiru | Chenab | 624 | Kishtwar (under construction) |
| Kwar | Chenab | 540 | Kishtwar (under construction) |
| Ratle | Chenab | 850 | Doda (under construction) |
| Sawalkot | Chenab | about 1,856 | Ramban (planned) |
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources, official publications and the Census. Figures and recent developments change, so check official sources before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.