Overview

• The Environment Ministry issued an office memorandum exempting mining of atomic, critical and strategic minerals from the statutory public consultation step.
• The order relies on clauses in the EIA Notification, 2006 that permit waivers for projects concerning national defence, security or other strategic considerations.
• All such proposals will undergo comprehensive review by sectoral expert appraisal committees at the Union level regardless of project size.
• The Defence Ministry and the Department of Atomic Energy requested the exemption, citing rare earths’ role in military systems and the need to scale thorium and uranium production for India’s atomic energy programme.
• The decision aligns with earlier measures to fast-track clearances, including a dedicated Parivesh category and amended Van Rules for forest approvals, building on MMDR Act, 2023 listings of these minerals.