April 19, 2026

File photo: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh (Picture credit: PTI) NEW DELHI: A day before Supreme Court hears the suo motu civil case on the new definition of Aravali hills and ranges, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to environment minister Bhupender Yadav, asking him four questions pertaining to assessment of Forest Survey of India (FSI) and views of one of the members of the central empowered committee (CEC) on the issue.Claiming that the acceptance of the new definition of the Aravallis will lead to fragmentation and undermining of the geographical and ecological integrity of the range, Ramesh said there were understandably widespread concerns with the redefinition of the hills that restricted them to landforms having an elevation of 100m or more.The environment ministry has clarified that the uniform definition would leave out only a fraction (nearly 0.2%) of the Aravalis for mining, FSI on Dec 23 refuted the claims that it carried out a study showing 90% of the hills would be left unprotected following the Nov 20 judgment. Nevertheless, Ramesh raised the question. “Is it not a fact that the FSI, in a communication to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change dated Sept 20, 2025 had stated the following: The smaller hill formations of the Aravalis serve as natural barriers against desertification… Because the protective effect of a barrier against windblown sand scales directly with its height, even modest hills of 10 to 30 m act as strong natural wind breaks?”He further asked, “Is it not a fact that the definition of the Aravali Hills and Ranges in Rajasthan since 2012 had been based on a report of the FSI of Aug 28, 2010 that had said the following: All such areas having a slope of 3 degrees or more shall be delineated as hills… Is it not a fact that CEC, constituted by the SC, had in its report of Nov 7, 2025, concluded that 164 mining leases in Rajasthan were inside the Aravali Hills and Ranges as defined by the then-prevailing FSI definition?”End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosOwaisi Urges Protection of Bangladesh Minorities Ahead of February Polls‘Love Jihad Claim False’: UP Woman Speaks Out After Bajrang Dal Crashes BirthdayUnnao Rape Case: Activists Protest Outside Delhi High Court Over Sengar BailShashi Tharoor Responds To Digvijaya Singh, Says Congress Needs Discipline, Not Lessons From RSSPakistan FM Says Islamabad Will Proactively Rebuild Relations With Bangladesh Post PollsHadi Killing: Dhaka Police Say Main Accused Escaped to India via MeghalayaPakistan FM Ishaq Dar Admits India Hit Nur Khan Air Base In Operation Sindoor Strikes‘Advised Me To Hide In Bunker’: Pak President Zardari On Op Sindoor, Responds To PM Modi’s WarningIndian Army Intensifies Anti-Terror Ops In J&K To Flush Out Pak Terrorists Amid Chillai KalanBJP Hails Shashi Tharoor’s Remarks On India’s Foreign Policy, Congress Hits Back123PhotostoriesHow to use AI to create romantic couple poses and pictures: 5 effective prompts5 Bangkok facts you probably didn’t knowTV soaps that went off air in 2025: ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 4’ to ‘Suman Indori’Is foul-smelling poop a symptom of cancer?TV celebrities who passed away in 2025: From Satish Shah to Achyut PotdarBloating vs belly fat: Easy signs that tell the difference and why it matters10 rice dishes from around the worldAntibiotic resistance: Why common infections are getting harder to treatThalapathy Vijay fitness secrets: How simple workouts and balanced food keep him fit at 516 strange and haunting lines from books and classics123Hot PicksKuwait NYEPAN-Aadhaar linkingJeffrey EpsteinGold rate todayIncome Tax RefundIndian Railways fareBank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingFrank Lampard and Christine Lampard Net WorthJordan Spieth Net WorthJake Paul and Jutta Net WorthBode Miller Net WorthTravis KelceWayne GretzkyPatrick MahomesNavjot Singh SidhuChloe KimNew York Yankees

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File photo: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh (Picture credit: PTI) NEW DELHI: A day before Supreme Court hears the suo motu civil case on the new definition of Aravali hills and ranges, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to environment minister Bhupender Yadav, asking him four questions pertaining to assessment of Forest Survey of India (FSI) and views of one of the members of the central empowered committee (CEC) on the issue.Claiming that the acceptance of the new definition of the Aravallis will lead to fragmentation and undermining of the geographical and ecological integrity of the range, Ramesh said there were understandably widespread concerns with the redefinition of the hills that restricted them to landforms having an elevation of 100m or more.The environment ministry has clarified that the uniform definition would leave out only a fraction (nearly 0.2%) of the Aravalis for mining, FSI on Dec 23 refuted the claims that it carried out a study showing 90% of the hills would be left unprotected following the Nov 20 judgment. Nevertheless, Ramesh raised the question. “Is it not a fact that the FSI, in a communication to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change dated Sept 20, 2025 had stated the following: The smaller hill formations of the Aravalis serve as natural barriers against desertification… Because the protective effect of a barrier against windblown sand scales directly with its height, even modest hills of 10 to 30 m act as strong natural wind breaks?”He further asked, “Is it not a fact that the definition of the Aravali Hills and Ranges in Rajasthan since 2012 had been based on a report of the FSI of Aug 28, 2010 that had said the following: All such areas having a slope of 3 degrees or more shall be delineated as hills… Is it not a fact that CEC, constituted by the SC, had in its report of Nov 7, 2025, concluded that 164 mining leases in Rajasthan were inside the Aravali Hills and Ranges as defined by the then-prevailing FSI definition?”End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosOwaisi Urges Protection of Bangladesh Minorities Ahead of February Polls‘Love Jihad Claim False’: UP Woman Speaks Out After Bajrang Dal Crashes BirthdayUnnao Rape Case: Activists Protest Outside Delhi High Court Over Sengar BailShashi Tharoor Responds To Digvijaya Singh, Says Congress Needs Discipline, Not Lessons From RSSPakistan FM Says Islamabad Will Proactively Rebuild Relations With Bangladesh Post PollsHadi Killing: Dhaka Police Say Main Accused Escaped to India via MeghalayaPakistan FM Ishaq Dar Admits India Hit Nur Khan Air Base In Operation Sindoor Strikes‘Advised Me To Hide In Bunker’: Pak President Zardari On Op Sindoor, Responds To PM Modi’s WarningIndian Army Intensifies Anti-Terror Ops In J&K To Flush Out Pak Terrorists Amid Chillai KalanBJP Hails Shashi Tharoor’s Remarks On India’s Foreign Policy, Congress Hits Back123PhotostoriesHow to use AI to create romantic couple poses and pictures: 5 effective prompts5 Bangkok facts you probably didn’t knowTV soaps that went off air in 2025: ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 4’ to ‘Suman Indori’Is foul-smelling poop a symptom of cancer?TV celebrities who passed away in 2025: From Satish Shah to Achyut PotdarBloating vs belly fat: Easy signs that tell the difference and why it matters10 rice dishes from around the worldAntibiotic resistance: Why common infections are getting harder to treatThalapathy Vijay fitness secrets: How simple workouts and balanced food keep him fit at 516 strange and haunting lines from books and classics123Hot PicksKuwait NYEPAN-Aadhaar linkingJeffrey EpsteinGold rate todayIncome Tax RefundIndian Railways fareBank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingFrank Lampard and Christine Lampard Net WorthJordan Spieth Net WorthJake Paul and Jutta Net WorthBode Miller Net WorthTravis KelceWayne GretzkyPatrick MahomesNavjot Singh SidhuChloe KimNew York Yankees


Ahead of Supreme Court Aravali hearing, Jairam Ramesh asks green ministry 4 questions

File photo: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh (Picture credit: PTI)

NEW DELHI: A day before Supreme Court hears the suo motu civil case on the new definition of Aravali hills and ranges, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to environment minister Bhupender Yadav, asking him four questions pertaining to assessment of Forest Survey of India (FSI) and views of one of the members of the central empowered committee (CEC) on the issue.Claiming that the acceptance of the new definition of the Aravallis will lead to fragmentation and undermining of the geographical and ecological integrity of the range, Ramesh said there were understandably widespread concerns with the redefinition of the hills that restricted them to landforms having an elevation of 100m or more.The environment ministry has clarified that the uniform definition would leave out only a fraction (nearly 0.2%) of the Aravalis for mining, FSI on Dec 23 refuted the claims that it carried out a study showing 90% of the hills would be left unprotected following the Nov 20 judgment. Nevertheless, Ramesh raised the question. “Is it not a fact that the FSI, in a communication to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change dated Sept 20, 2025 had stated the following: The smaller hill formations of the Aravalis serve as natural barriers against desertification… Because the protective effect of a barrier against windblown sand scales directly with its height, even modest hills of 10 to 30 m act as strong natural wind breaks?”He further asked, “Is it not a fact that the definition of the Aravali Hills and Ranges in Rajasthan since 2012 had been based on a report of the FSI of Aug 28, 2010 that had said the following: All such areas having a slope of 3 degrees or more shall be delineated as hills… Is it not a fact that CEC, constituted by the SC, had in its report of Nov 7, 2025, concluded that 164 mining leases in Rajasthan were inside the Aravali Hills and Ranges as defined by the then-prevailing FSI definition?”



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