In India, salt is a necessity of life even to the humblest, and the total quantity consumed is very great. In normal times, large amounts are imported and with the cutting off of foreign supplies, due to shipping shortages, India was at one time faced with serious prospect of salt scarcity. Government at once took steps to stop the profiteering which aggravated the crises, and set about increasing the production of Indian salt so that importation should be much reduced. The result of this policy is that the existing salt stocks, together with the anticipated output from the salt sources, and expected imports from abroad, are not only sufficient to meet anticipated normal requirements but will probably also provide a margin in excess of those requirements to meet unforeseen emergencies. The Sambhar Lake alone, the largest source of supply in Northern India, has at present a stock nearly equal to the total output of the whole year. Owing to the improvements which have been taken in hand, a record output is expected from the Pachbadra source. As an example of what can be achieved by these improvements, the case of the Khewra mines may be taken. The pre-war output was 34 lakhs of maunds, but last year the figure was raised to 38 lakhs of maunds, and this year it will probably show a further increase.
