Govt Exempts Rare Earth Mining From Public Consultations Citing National Security

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change excluded critical, strategic and atomic mineral mining from the scope of public consultation.

The ministry cited defence and security requirements as the reason for this exemption, according to an office memorandum issued on Monday. Projects concerning these minerals will now be comprehensively appraised only at central level, irrespective of size.

This was after a receipt of a proposal sent to them from the Ministry of Defence and Department of Atomic Energy requesting the same, highlighting the scarcity of these minerals around the world, their notable supply risk, as well as their applications in defence technology.

"It has also been stated the mineral resources of these rare earth minerals are scarce in India and their production and supply is concentrated in limited geographies around the world, which poses huge supply risk for the country and requires steady supply of rare earth minerals from domestic mines," the memorandum said.

The defence ministry said that rare earth minerals are vital components in radar, sonar, monitors, lasers, avionics, as well as mounting and guidance systems for tanks and other armoured vehicles among many other technologies.

The ministry also highlighted high-tech electronics, telecommunications, transport as the other sectors which require these minerals. It also stated that they are an integral part of meeting India's 'net-zero till 2070' commitment goal.

The Defence Ministry underlined thorium (extracted from beach sand mineral monazite) as a key source of fuel in the creation of the third stage of the Atomic Energy Programme. It also highlighted uranium mining as "essential" for the first step of the nuclear power programme and stated that it requires an "enhancement of production".

"Similarly, mining of uranium is essential in the first stage nuclear power programme, and this requires enhancement of production of these minerals by way of operationalization of new deposits of uranium and beach sand minerals in the country," the memorandum said.

This move is part of a broader push to fast track these projects, as critical minerals projects already have priority on the Parivesh portal.