UNION Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday accused the Congress of spreading “misinformation” and “lies” on the issue of the new definition of the Aravallis and stressed that mining can be carried out legally in only 0.19 per cent of the area covered by the mountain range. At a press briefing, he said the Narendra Modi Government remains “fully committed” to protecting and restoring the Aravallis.

 

“The Congress, which allowed rampant illegal mining in Rajasthan during its tenure, is spreading confusion, misinformation and lies about the issue,” the Minister alleged. The new definition, approved by the Supreme Court on the recommendation of the Environment Ministry, “aims to curb illegal mining” and allow “sustainable mining legally”, and that too only after a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), he said. The ICFRE will identify areas where mining can be permitted only under exceptional and scientifically justified circumstances, sources said.

 

The study will also determine ecologically sensitive, conservation-critical and restoration-priority areas within the Aravalli landscape where mining will be strictly prohibited. Yadav said that legally approved mining currently covers only a very small fraction of the Aravalli region, amounting to about 0.19 per cent of the total geographical area of 37 Aravalli districts in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat. Delhi, which has five Aravalli districts, does not permit any mining. According to the Supreme Court’s directions, he said, 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.