Rajasthan's entry into the field of Uranium Mining | 27 Jun 2022

Why In News?

• With the issuance of Letter of Intent (LoI) for uranium mining in the state on June 26, 2022, Rajasthan has entered the field of uranium mining.

Key Point

• The LOI has been issued for mining lease to Uranium Corporation of India for mining of uranium ore at Rohil in Khandela tehsil near Sikar.
• It may be recalled that huge reserves of uranium have been found in an area of 1086.46 hectares at Rohil in Khandela tehsil of Sikar district. According to initial estimates, the reserves of about 12 million tonnes of uranium are likely to be in the region.
• Uranium is currently being excavated in the country in Jajagoda of Singhbhumi in Jharkhand and andhra pradesh.
• The highest uranium production globally takes place in Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia. Apart from this, uranium minerals have also been found in Russia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, USA and Ukraine.
• Uranium is mainly used to make electricity. However, apart from nuclear energy, uranium is also used in medicine, defense equipment, photography among others.