India Mulls Separate Clearance Window for Critical Minerals

Why in the News?

The Environment Ministry is considering a separate category on Parivesh 2.0 to fast-track forest and environmental clearances for critical minerals, aiming to reduce delays and ensure domestic availability amidst rising global strategic competition and China’s export restrictions. This move recognizes the importance of these resources in preserving India’s composite culture and traditional knowledge associated with mineral-rich regions, which are often home to diverse ethnic diversity and linguistic diversity, including various linguistic groups and dravidian languages.

Strategic Push for Critical Mineral Clearances:

● New Proposal: The Union Environment Ministry is exploring a separate category on the Parivesh 2.0 portal to prioritize mining proposals for critical and strategic minerals, including rare earth elements. This initiative aims to streamline processes while respecting the linguistic diversity and racial diversity of areas where these minerals are found, promoting cultural integration and social harmony.

● Faster Processing: The goal is to fast-track forest and environment clearances to reduce the 5–7 years usually taken from auction to production, ensuring that the exploitation of these resources contributes to inclusive development and creates new employment opportunities while preserving the cultural identity of local communities, including speakers of regional languages and endangered languages.

● Restricted Access: The new category is not publicly visible but can be accessed by those holding composite or mining licences. This approach balances the need for expedited processes with the protection of sensitive information and respects the constitutional mandate regarding mineral exploitation in linguistic states, in line with Article 29 of the Indian Constitution.

● Industry Concerns: Stakeholders advocate for a dedicated single-window clearance system to ensure at least 10% domestic production as per the National Critical Mineral Mission. This system would need to incorporate local languages to facilitate better communication and understanding among all parties involved, including diverse linguistic communities in mineral-rich areas.

National Critical Mineral Mission & Implementation Status

● Mission Launch: The National Critical Mineral Mission was launched in January 2024 to build self-reliance and reduce import dependency. This mission also aims to preserve and utilize traditional knowledge in mining practices, promoting mutual respect between industry and local tribal communities, while being mindful of potential linguistic conflicts and upholding principles of linguistic secularism.

● Identified Minerals: A 7-member panel identified 36 critical minerals based on resource status, tech needs, and import dependence. This process involved extensive problem-solving skills and cognitive development to assess the strategic importance of each mineral, considering the impact on various language families and their cultural heritage, including dravidian languages.

● Licensing Status: 46 composite licences and 13 mining leases have been issued, mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, UP, and Arunachal Pradesh. These licenses take into account the state policy and constitutional provisions related to mineral exploitation, ensuring respect for linguistic diversity and tribal rights in these linguistic states.

● Operational Delays: Example – Graphite blocks auctioned in 2018–19 are still non-operational, reflecting the need for regulatory reforms and improved technical education in the mining sector. This includes language training programs and interpretation services to bridge communication gaps between industry professionals and local linguistic groups.

Importance of Critical Minerals

● Global Significance: Critical minerals are essential for high-tech electronics, EVs, defence, and clean energy transition. Their exploitation requires a balance between economic needs and preserving the cultural significance of mineral-rich areas, often inhabited by diverse ethnic groups and speakers of endangered languages, as recognized by UNESCO initiatives.

● Geopolitical Context: China’s export curbs on rare earths affect global supply, pushing India to secure domestic resources. This situation highlights the need for developing local expertise through enhanced technical education programs, which should include language policy considerations to ensure effective knowledge transfer across linguistic communities.

● Strategic Need: These minerals are vital for ensuring energy security, technological sovereignty, and supply chain resilience. Their development also offers opportunities for digital services and expanding India’s digital presence in the global mineral market, including the creation of multilingual databases to facilitate international trade and support composite culture.

● Institutional Framework: Under the Mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) will conduct 1,200 exploration projects between 2024–31. This initiative will require a workforce with strong problem-solving skills and cognitive development to tackle complex geological challenges, while also being sensitive to the cultural integration aspects of working in diverse linguistic communities and addressing potential linguistic conflicts.

About PARIVESH 2.0 Portal :

● Definition: PARIVESH 2.0 is a web-based portal for online submission and tracking of Environmental, Forest, Wildlife, and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances. It represents a significant advancement in digital services for environmental management, supporting linguistic diversity through its user interface.

● Acronym Meaning: PARIVESH stands for Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous, and Environmental Single Window Hub.

● Ministry: Developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

● Function: It offers a single-window platform for processing and monitoring all green clearances, enhancing India’s digital presence in environmental governance while promoting social harmony through transparent processes.

● Key Drivers: Emphasises process transformation, technology upgrades, and domain knowledge integration to streamline and expedite environmental approvals across India, supporting inclusive development in the mining sector. The platform also considers language policy implications, ensuring accessibility for various linguistic communities involved in the mineral extraction process, and aligns with UNESCO initiatives for preserving cultural heritage in mining areas. The platform’s design takes into account the linguistic diversity index to ensure equitable access for all linguistic groups.