Save Aravalli’ or Save Illegal Mining? Congress’s Double Game Exposed

December 25, 2025

1. The Congress has recently launched a ‘Save Aravalli’ campaign, trying to portray themselves as deeply concerned about the environment. However, in reality, Congress is not worried about the Aravalli range, but about the mining mafia that has been earning money through illegal mining for almost 23 years.

2. This is because the Supreme Court, through its order, has precisely defined the Aravalli range and mandated audit-based enforcement. This has disturbed the Congress’s ecosystem. Previously, maps were manipulated for mining by bribing forest guards or revenue ministers. Now, however, this is not possible for Congress due to the satellite-based system.

3. Earlier, during the period from 1998 to 2023, the destruction of the Aravalli range reached its peak. The so-called “complete ban” was used as a convenient cover for uncontrolled exploitation. During the Congress rule, as many as 31 hills disappeared in Rajasthan, yet no voice was raised to “Save Aravalli” despite the unprecedented environmental damage. During this period, a political-economic ecosystem was built on illegal mining.

4. Between 2005 and 2012, 16.22 lakh metric tons of minerals were illegally extracted. During the ban period, more than 3,000 illegal and unregulated mining sites were operational. As revealed by the 2019 CAG report, 18 mining leases were renewed in direct violation of the Supreme Court’s orders. At that time, however, Congress conveniently remained silent.

5. Congress is misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s new 100-meter satellite-based definition and portraying it as a free pass for mining in 90% of the Aravalli hills, but the reality is different. According to the new scientific methodology, only 0.19% of the 1.44 lakh square kilometers of the Aravalli region is eligible for consideration, while the remaining 99.81% remains completely protected.
6. While the previous blanket ban prevented poor villagers from even repairing their houses, more than 500 luxurious farmhouses sprang up in the Aravalli range under the convenient name of ‘agro-forestry,’ making the ban a protective shield for the interests of the elite. Now, however, the new satellite mapping system accurately shows every structure. This transparency has unsettled many influential beneficiaries of the old system.

7. The old blanket ban created an artificial scarcity, imposing an invisible inflation tax on the poor, which led to a 300 percent increase in the price of construction sand in the black market. The new scientific, regulated framework has reduced this burden. As a result, affordable housing schemes like the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ will directly benefit.
8. Former Minister of Mines, Forests, and Revenue, Ramlal Jat, has made himself the face of the Congress protest. However, Ramlal Jat has a history of exploiting the Aravallis. He and his family own a company called ‘Aravalli Grani Marmo Private Limited’. While he was the Revenue Minister, he allegedly facilitated the conversion of forest land into revenue land and paved the way for obtaining mining licenses based on fraudulent entries.

9. Shockingly, in 2023, he was booked for illegally occupying a granite mine in Bhilwara. A person accused of land grabbing and profiting from mining in the Aravallis is now trying to present himself as the savior of these hills.
10. The claim that “90% of the Aravalli range is gone” is false. In reality, only 8.7% of the hills are less than 100 meters high, and even these remain fully protected due to a 1 km sanctuary buffer, 500 m wetland protection, dark-zone restrictions, range-connectivity rules, forest clearance, EIA, National Green Tribunal oversight, and satellite monitoring. Only approximately 20% of the lower-lying terrain is outside the buffers, but even there, mining is subject to strict scientific conditions.

11. The blanket ban of 2002, based on vague and ambiguous definitions, was widely misused. State-level arbitrariness and weak enforcement resulted in 25% environmental damage and the creation of over 3,000 illegal mines.

12. In contrast, the new 2025 framework, with mandatory Supreme Court approval for any changes to the MPSM, continuous satellite monitoring, quarterly independent audits, restoration bond forfeiture in case of violations, “community standing” rights for civil society to object to boundaries, and geo-referenced assessments by ICFRE, ensures that biodiversity, groundwater recharge, and sensitive hills remain protected in the core zones—thus making the entire system resistant to political interference, transparent, and scientifically sound.

13. Overall, according to the new policy, work in the Aravalli region will be conducted in a regulated manner, and those engaged in illegal mining will suffer the greatest loss. Therefore, the Congress party has started the ‘Save Aravalli’ campaign to mislead the country.