India’s long-standing tension between environmental protection and industrial necessity has once again come into focus with the debate around mining in the Aravalli range. Rather than resolving such conflicts through transparent and consistent policy frameworks, the government often relies on case-by-case strategic exemptions” granted through executive discretion.
The issue gained renewed attention on December 23, when Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, underlined the defence sector’s growing dependence on critical minerals.
He noted that modern weapons systems and defence technologies require steady access to minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements. Heavy reliance on imports, he warned, has become a strategic vulnerability as global supply chains remain concentrated and vulnerable to geopolitics and export controls. Linking national security with resource access, Dixit stressed that self-reliance in defence manufacturing and operational readiness depends on securing domestic mineral value chains. The National Critical Mineral Mission, he said, is intended to address this challenge, even as environmental concerns around sensitive regions like the Aravallis continue to raise questions about governance and long-term sustainability.
