Govt exempts critical mineral projects from public hearing to ease clearance

IN A SEPT 8 MEMO, ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY SAID THE DEFENCE MINISTRY MENTIONED THE USE OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS IN EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING

- Jayashree Nandi

After a decision to fast-track environmental and forest clearance processes for critical minerals, all mining projects of atomic minerals and critical and strategic minerals notified in the first schedule (part B and D) of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act will be exempt from public hearings, the union environment ministry has said.

All of these projects, irrespective of the lease area, will be appraised at the central level, the ministry added.

Some of these reserves of strategic minerals are located in border areas up north where communities are concerned about the impact on the sensitive ecology of the region.

On September 8, the ministry issued an office memorandum (OM) referring to an earlier OM dated March 13 on out of turn consideration of mining projects of critical and strategic minerals.