Government clarifies 90% of Aravalli region is protected under new Supreme Court-approved framework

Key facts

• The Centre asserted that "90 percent of the Aravalli region will remain 'protected'" under a framework approved by the Supreme Court to prevent large-scale mining.
• A freeze on new mining leases is in place until a "Management Plan for Sustainable Mining is prepared for the entire landscape by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)."
• The new definition identifies an "Aravalli Hill" as "any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief."
• An "Aravalli Range" is defined as a "collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other."
• According to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), "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 MoEFCC committee recommended prohibiting mining in "core and inviolate areas, including protected areas, eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves, wetlands and areas close to such sites."
• The Supreme Court, on November 20, 2025, accepted the recommendations of a committee to "standardise" the definition of Aravalli hills and ranges across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi.
• The government has initiated the "'Green Aravalli' movement for the preservation of the mountain range" and committed to using technology like drones for monitoring.
• Existing mines may continue operations only if they "strictly comply with sustainable mining norms" laid down by the committee.