Srinagar/New Delhi: The Government of India is gearing up to auction the Sapphire mines located in Chenab Valley's Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, announced that within the next year, the auction process will be conducted in a “scientific manner.”
LG also expressed gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for extending support for the survey and gemological studies of Sapphire mines In J&K.
Reportedly, the Geological Survey of India has already completed the preliminary survey for the scientific exploration of sapphire mines in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district in 2021.
In Kishtwar, Sapphire is found in Paddar Valley, located at an altitude of 4,742 metres above sea level, a 116-km stretch in the valley is estimated to have a reserve of sapphire worth Rs 2,700 crore.