Govt Orders Blanket Ban on New Mining Across Aravallis, Expands Protected Zones

Moneylife Digital Team 26 December 2025

Economy & Nation

In a sweeping move aimed at long-term ecological conservation, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) has directed all concerned States to impose a complete ban on the grant of any new mining leases across the entire Aravalli Range, stretching from the National Capital Region (NCR) to Gujarat.

The prohibition applies uniformly to the full Aravalli landscape and is intended to halt illegal and unregulated mining activities that have severely threatened one of India’s oldest geological formations. The government says the directive is aimed at protecting the Aravallis as a continuous geological ridge and preserving its ecological integrity.

As part of the conservation push, the MoEF&CC has also tasked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) with identifying additional zones across the Aravallis where mining should be prohibited, over and above areas already notified as no-mining zones by the Union government. The identification will be based on ecological, geological and landscape-level considerations.

ICFRE has been asked to carry out this exercise while preparing a comprehensive, science-based management plan for sustainable mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region.

According to the Ministry, the plan will assess cumulative environmental impacts and ecological carrying capacity, identify ecologically sensitive and conservation-critical areas, and recommend measures for restoration and rehabilitation.

The proposed management plan will be placed in the public domain for wide stakeholder consultation. The government says this process is expected to significantly expand the coverage of protected and mining-prohibited areas across the Aravallis, taking into account local topography, biodiversity and ecological fragility.

For mines that are already operational, the MoEF&CC has directed state governments to ensure strict compliance with all environmental safeguards and adherence to Supreme Court orders. Existing mining activities will be subject to stringent regulation and additional restrictions to ensure conformity with sustainable mining practices.

Reiterating its commitment to environmental protection, the government says the Aravalli ecosystem plays a critical role in preventing desertification, conserving biodiversity, recharging aquifers and providing essential environmental services to large parts of north-western India.

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