Eventually the government approved the ‘Aravalli’ But accepted defeat! Now there will be no new mining, strict action taken by Ministry after protest

Aravalli Range: The Central Government has taken a very important and historic decision on Wednesday regarding the conservation of Aravalli Hills. The government has issued clear instructions to all concerned states that there should be a complete ban on granting new mining leases in the Aravalli region. There was a lot of controversy going on for some time regarding this important mountain range extending from Delhi to Gujarat and the government’s steps were being criticized by the general public even on social media. This step has been taken keeping in mind public sentiment and environment.

Government’s decision regarding Aravali

The government has expressed its intention to say that it is fully committed to the conservation of the Aravalli hills and understands its role in saving biodiversity. According to the order issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, this ban will be uniformly applicable on the entire Aravalli range. Its main objective is to protect the Aravalis as a continuous and unbroken geological range extending from Gujarat to the National Capital Region. The ministry has decided to ensure that any kind of unregulated mining activities are stopped in this area so that the mountains remain safe.

In a major step towards conservation and protection of the entire Aravalli Range stretching from Delhi to Gujarat from illegal mining, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has issued directions to the States for a complete Ban on the Grant of any… pic.twitter.com/QZ5wL8zgHK

— IANS (@ians_india) December 24, 2025

Supreme Court order and strict rules

Apart from banning mining, the Environment Ministry has taken another important step. The ministry has directed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to survey the entire Aravalli region. They will have to identify more new areas or zones where mining should be banned with immediate effect. This identification will be done not just on the map, but on the basis of considerations at the ecological, geological and landscape levels. These new areas will be in addition to the areas already listed as prohibited mining areas by the Central Government. Along with this, the government has also issued instructions for those mines which are currently operating.

New instructions for old mines also

The government has clarified that for mines already operating, the respective state governments will have to ensure that all environmental protection measures are strictly followed. The work there should be done as per the orders of the Supreme Court. To ensure environmental protection and adherence to sustainable mining practices, ongoing mining activities will be regulated with additional restrictions to minimize damage to nature.

When and how did the Aravali dispute start?

The entire matter had heated up since November 2025, when the country’s top court accepted a new legal definition of the Aravalli Hills and the Aravalli Range on the recommendation of a committee led by the Environment Ministry. Under this new definition, an Aravalli hill was considered to be a landform with a height of at least 100 meters above its surrounding area. At the same time, Aravalli Range is said to be a group of two or more such hills located within 500 meters of each other. After this definition came out, people started criticizing the government on social media that it would promote mining.

What had Bhupendra Chaudhary said earlier?

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav has taken a strong stand on this controversy. He accused the Congress party of spreading misinformation and lies on the issue of new definition of Aravali. Bhupendra Yadav said in a press conference that the Narendra Modi government is fully committed to protecting Aravali and making it as it was before. Citing statistics, he said that only 0.19 percent of the mountain range can be legally mined.

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The minister alleged that Congress had allowed large-scale illegal mining in Rajasthan during its rule, but now it was spreading confusion. He clarified that the purpose of the new definition is to curb illegal mining and allow legal sustainable mining, that too after ICFRE prepares a concrete management plan for it.