The Centre on Sunday rejected claims that a new definition of the Aravalli range would open the door to large-scale mining, saying that more than 90 per cent of the mountain system will remain protected and that a Supreme Court-ordered freeze on new mining leases continues to be in force.
At the centre of the controversy is a Supreme Court-approved framework that standardises the definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges across states.
The government said the move strengthens protection, removes ambiguity and curbs practices that earlier allowed mining close to hill bases.
Environment minister Bhupender Yadav said the approved definition will bring over 90 per cent of the Aravalli region under protected area.
Replying to queries from mediapersons after a meeting on Project Elephant and the National Tiger Conservation Authority in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, he said that “no relaxation has been granted” for the Aravallis and accused critics of spreading falsehoods.
“Stop spreading misinformation!” he said in a post on X, amid allegations by the Congress and others that the move would damage the Aravallis.
“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,” said Yadav, the Union minister for environment, forest and climate change.
On November 20, 2025, the Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges.
The committee had been set up in May 2024 while the apex court was hearing long-pending cases related to illegal mining in the region.
Under the new definition, an “Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief,” while an “Aravalli Range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other”.
The government, however, said it is “incorrect to conclude” that landforms below 100 metres are automatically open for mining.
In an explanation issued amid the debate over the “100-metre” criterion, it clarified that the restriction applies to entire hill systems and their enclosed landforms, and not merely to a hill’s peak or slope.
According to the ministry, the Supreme Court directed that the definition be standardised across states to prevent misuse. Officials pointed out that earlier, differing criteria allowed mining activity to continue dangerously close to hill bases.
“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,” Yadav said.
Sources in the environment ministry said the committee, chaired by the ministry secretary and comprising representatives from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi along with technical bodies, found that only Rajasthan had a formally established definition in place, followed since 2006.
That definition treats landforms rising 100 metres or more above local relief as hills and bans mining within the lowest bounding contour enclosing such hills, regardless of the height or slope of landforms inside that contour.
The committee recommended adopting this approach across states, along with added safeguards. All four states agreed to the proposal. Delhi, which has five Aravalli districts, does not permit any mining.
The additional safeguards include treating hills within 500 metres of each other as a single range, mandatory mapping of hills and ranges on Survey of India maps before any mining decision, and clear identification of core and inviolate areas where mining is prohibited.
The government said the Supreme Court has accepted the committee’s recommendation to prohibit mining in core and inviolate areas, including protected areas, eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves, wetlands and areas close to such sites.
Limited exemptions may be allowed only for critical, strategic and deep-seated minerals in national interest.
Crucially, no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravalli region until a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining is prepared for the entire landscape by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.
Existing mines can continue only if they strictly comply with sustainable mining norms laid down by the committee.
District-level analysis across Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat shows that legally approved mining covers about 0.19 per cent of the total geographical area of 37 Aravalli districts, the government said.
Officials underlined that the main threat to the Aravallis remains illegal and unregulated mining. The committee has recommended stronger monitoring and enforcement, including the use of drones and surveillance technology.
Yadav said the government has also taken steps such as the ‘Green Aravalli’ movement for preservation of the range and remains committed to its protection. “Lies are being spread on the (definition) issue,” he alleged.