New Delhi: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has exempted mining projects involving atomic, critical and strategic minerals from the requirement of public consultations, citing defence and national security imperatives.
The move, formalised through a new office memorandum, follows requests from the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Although public hearings will not be mandatory, these projects will continue to undergo comprehensive scrutiny by sector-specific expert appraisal committees at the central level, irrespective of their size.
The ministry invoked provisions under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, which already provides exemptions for projects of strategic importance.
The Defence Ministry had earlier highlighted the growing dependence on rare earth elements vital for military applications, warning of significant supply risks given their concentration in limited geographies worldwide.
Similarly, the DAE emphasised the role of thorium from monazite sands and uranium deposits in advancing India’s three-stage nuclear energy programme, urging faster approvals for domestic mining.
The exemption comes in the backdrop of wider policy changes aimed at strengthening India’s mineral security. This year, the government created a dedicated category for critical minerals on its online clearance portal Parivesh. It amended the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023, to ease forest clearances for such projects.
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023, also formalised the classification of atomic, critical and strategic minerals, reinforcing the Centre’s focus on reducing import dependence and ensuring resource security.
