Context:

=> Huge reserves of uranium was found at Rohil (Khandela Tehsil) in Sikar district, which is over 120 km from the state capital Jaipur.

=> Status: After Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan is the third state where uranium — which is considered one of the rare minerals in the world — has been found.

=> World: The largest producers of uranium in the world are Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia.

=> India imports uranium mostly from Kazakhstan and Canada.

=> Commercial: The Rajasthan government has forayed into the field of uranium mining by issuing a letter of intent (LoI) to the Uranium Corporation of India.

=> Use: Uranium is mainly used for generating electricity and also for nuclear energy, medicines, defence equipment and photography.

=> Characteristics: Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element.  Uranium-235 (its isotope) is the only naturally occurring isotope, capable of sustaining nuclear fission.