(a) whether the Government propose to take up afforestation work in the mining areas of Aravali hills of Rajasthan in order to protect the environment;
(b) whether his Ministry have decided to take up this matter with the Ministry of Environment and Forests; and
(c) if so, the details and outcome thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF MINES (SHRI RAMESH BAIS)
(a) to ( c ): The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) deals with subject matter concerning afforestation work in the mining areas, be it Aravalli hills of Rajasthan or any other area in the Country, under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
MOEF have informed that in order to minimize the loss of green cover and to mitigate the ill-effects on surrounding environment due to mining, the Central Government grants forestry clearance for mining under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 with stipulated condition of compensatory afforestation, to be done by the User Agency at the project cost either on non-forest land or on double degraded forest land as the case may be. MOEF also stipulates the condition of raising and maintaining safety zone by the User Agency around the mining area. As regards the afforestation programme in mining areas, be it Aravalli area or any other area, it is usually done as per Reclamation Plan submitted by the User Agency and approved by the State Government as soon as the mining is over.
MOEF also invests sufficient funds on afforestation programme all over the country through National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB), provided the State Government submits a scheme for the purpose.