Govt Says 90% Of Aravalli Range Under Protection Amid Mining Concerns

The Centre has rejected allegations that a new definition of the Aravalli range will clear the way for extensive mining, stressing that more than 90 per cent of the landscape remains protected and that new mining leases across the Aravalli region are frozen under a Supreme Court-approved framework until a detailed management plan is in place.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said "no relaxation has been granted" for mining in the Aravalli region and argued that critics are misrepresenting the changes. "Stop spreading misinformation!" Yadav posted on X, responding to the Congress and other groups that claim the revised definition will harm the fragile hill system and threaten its ecology.

Aravalli mining definition and protection under Supreme Court framework

The Supreme Court, on November 20, 2025, accepted recommendations from a committee formed under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change that proposed a uniform definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges. This definition is meant to guide all future decisions on mining, protection, and land use in Aravalli districts across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi.

According to the new definition, "Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief" and an "Aravalli Range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other". The government maintains that this standard description will reduce ambiguity and help enforcement agencies.

Aravalli mining definition, area limits and eligibility figures

Bhupender Yadav said that the Supreme Court-approved definition will bring more than 90 per cent of the Aravalli region into a "protected area" category. The Environment Minister added: "In the total area of 1.44 lakh square kilometres of the Aravalli, mining eligibility can only be in 0.19 per cent of the area. The rest of the entire Aravalli is preserved and protected," highlighting how small the potential mining footprint is.

Government data based on district-level assessments across 37 Aravalli districts in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat shows that legally approved mining already occupies only a very limited portion of the landscape, estimated at about 0.19 per cent of the total geographical area. Delhi, which has five districts within the Aravalli zone, does not permit any mining activity at all.

Aravalli mining definition and the 100-metre criterion debate

The government has strongly objected to interpretations that suggest all landforms below 100 metres can now be mined. Officials clarified that the 100-metre benchmark helps identify what qualifies as a hill, but they stressed that safeguards apply to the entire hill system and any land enclosed within its lowest bounding contour, not just the upper portions or visible slopes.

Amid concerns over the 100-metre rule, an official explanation said it is "incorrect to conclude" that landforms below this height automatically become open to mining. Yadav also addressed this point directly, stating: "People have created confusion that you can mine below the 100 metre elevation in a hill, but it is not so....The bottom area will be protected. And if there is a gap of 500 metres between two hills, then that area will also be considered part of the range. After this definition, more than 90 per cent of the area will be protected," underlining that the definition expands, rather than shrinks, the safeguarded zones.

Aravalli mining definition shaped by committee and Rajasthan model

Sources in the Environment Ministry said the Supreme Court had been hearing long-pending matters on illegal mining in the Aravallis when, in May 2024, it directed the constitution of a committee to craft a "uniform definition". States had been using different standards while clearing mining proposals, creating scope for disputes and inconsistent protections around sensitive hill areas.

The committee was chaired by the Environment Ministry Secretary and included representatives from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi, along with technical institutions. During its review, the panel found that Rajasthan was the only state with a formal Aravalli definition, applied since 2006. That approach treated any landform rising 100 metres or more above local relief as a hill and banned mining inside the lowest contour surrounding that hill, regardless of inner landform height or slope.

The sources said all four states agreed to adopt this Rajasthan-based approach, with added safeguards to bring greater clarity and transparency. These additions include treating hills found within 500 metres of one another as a single range, mandatory mapping of all hills and ranges using Survey of India maps before any mining decisions, and clear marking of core and inviolate areas where mining is not allowed under any ordinary circumstances.

Aravalli mining definition, restrictions and future mining controls

The government said the Supreme Court has accepted the committee’s recommendation that mining be barred in core and inviolate zones. These zones include protected areas, eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves, wetlands and surrounding buffer regions. Only narrow exemptions are allowed for critical, strategic and deep-seated minerals, and those too must be justified in the national interest and handled within strict regulatory conditions.

Under the apex court’s directions, authorities cannot grant any new mining leases in the Aravalli region until the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education prepares a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining for the entire Aravalli landscape. Existing mines are allowed to function only if they fully comply with sustainable mining standards recommended by the committee and accepted by the court.

Yadav said the Union government has been taking several measures, including the 'Green Aravalli' movement, to preserve the mountain system and repeated the charge that "Lies are being spread on the (definition) issue," around the Aravalli mining definition and its impact. According to the government, the major danger to the Aravallis remains illegal and unregulated mining, and the committee has proposed stronger monitoring, tighter enforcement and wider use of tools such as drones and surveillance systems to track violations more effectively and guard the range.