Summary
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed States to ban all new mining leases across the entire Aravalli Range (from Delhi to Gujarat).
• Objective: halt illegal and unregulated mining and protect the Aravallis as a continuous geological–ecological system.
• The Centre has tasked Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional no-mining zones and prepare a science-based management plan assessing cumulative environmental impact and ecological carrying capacity.
• Existing mines may operate only under strict environmental safeguards and Supreme Court directives.
• The move aims to expand protected areas and ensure long-term conservation of the Aravalli ecosystem—key for biodiversity, groundwater recharge, and preventing desertification.
