The Union environment ministry has exempted mining projects involving atomic, critical and strategic minerals from the process of public consultations, citing “national defence and security requirements and strategic considerations”.

The decision was announced in an office memorandum issued on Monday by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Such projects would still undergo a “comprehensive appraisal” by sectoral expert committees at the Union government level, regardless of their size, the ministry said in the memorandum.

Under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, developmental and industrial projects are screened for their impact on the environment, health and communities. The process also includes a round of public consultation, in which affected residents can raise concerns at hearings and others can submit written responses.

The exemption was granted after requests from the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Atomic Energy.

In its request, the defence ministry said that rare earth elements, used for making radars, sonar systems and communication devices, among other equipment, are in short supply in India.

The supply of such minerals is concentrated in few countries and poses a “huge supply risk” for India, and requires their steady supply from domestic mines.

The decision to exempt them from the public consultations process is part of the government’s push to fast-track critical and strategic mineral projects.

Earlier this year, the environment ministry created a separate clearance category for critical minerals on its online clearance portal, Parivesh, at the request of the Ministry of Mines.

It also amended the 2023 Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Rules to create a category for critical and strategic minerals to process forest approvals for such projects.

The 2023 Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Amendment Act also added to the official list of atomic, critical and strategic minerals to promote their exploration and mining in India.

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