No mining allowed in Delhi; 90% of Aravalli Range protected: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav

The Environment Ministry recently came under intense heat owing to ongoing protests from civil society and Opposition against the new uniform definition of Aravalli hills — which was accepted by the Supreme Court last month. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday said out of the total area of 1.44 lakh square km of the Aravalli spread in four states, mining can only be carried in 0.19 per cent of the area.

The minister also said 90 per cent of the Aravallis will be protected and that no permissions for mining will be granted in Delhi.

“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 Aravalli is preserved and protected,” he said.

In November 2025, the Supreme Court accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills, as recommended by an expert committee appointed by the Centre. According to this definition, only landforms exhibiting a minimum relative relief of 100 m above the surrounding terrain qualify as ‘Aravalli hills’.

Yadav clarified that the new definition does not relate only to a hill’s altitude of 100m, but also considers the base of the hill.  He said that mining will not be allowed around or beneath the hill’s structure.

“All states agreed to adopt the aforementioned uniform criterion of '100m above local relief' for regulating mining in the Aravalli region as had been in force in Rajasthan since January 9, 2006, while unanimously agreeing to make it more objective and transparent. All the landforms enclosed within the lowest binding contour encircling hills of height 100m or more irrespective of their height and slopes are excluded for the purposes of grant of mining lease,” he said.

Hills within 500m proximity are grouped into Aravalli Ranges. This ensures that valleys, intervening slopes, and smaller hillocks between major peaks are also safeguarded. Mining is prohibited into any area falling within the 500m range.

An official statement from the Ministry said that the Aravalli Range has been defined as all the landforms which exist within 500m of two adjoining hills of height 100m or more.

“All landforms existing within this 500m zone irrespective of their height and slopes are excluded for the purposes of grant of mining lease. It is, therefore, wrong to conclude that mining is permitted in all landforms below 100m height,” the statement said.