India’s Helium import to get affected

India’s Helium import to get affected

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations & GS-III – Economy 

In news

• The USA shall cut off exports of helium from 2021. 
• Due to this, the Indian industry stands to lose out heavily since India imports helium

Important value additions 

• Helium is colorless, odourless, tasteless, inert, and a noble gas.
• Applications: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, in rockets and nuclear reactors.
• Dutch physicist Kamerlingh Onnes liquefied Helium by cooling the gas to -270 degrees Celsius.
• India’s Rajmahal volcanic basin in Jharkhand is the storehouse of helium trapped for billions of years. 
• At present, India is mapping the Rajmahal basin extensively for future exploration and harnessing of helium.