What India did to protect its forests and hills in 2025: from Kancha Gachibowli to Aravalli

In 2025, protests erupted across India against environmental threats posed by mining and deforestation. The Supreme Court's order on retrospective environmental clearances sparked debate about environmental jurisprudence, while the government's policy on atomic mineral mining was found to be in conflict with ecologically fragile lands. Students protested against land auctioning for a forest in Hyderabad, demanding its preservation. Environmentalists, including BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress veteran Karan Singh, appealed to the Supreme Court to review its judgment permitting widening of Himalayan roads, citing environmental damage. The government's exemption from public consultation for mining projects related to atomic minerals drew criticism from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. In Chhattisgarh, protests against a mining project in Hasdeo Aranya highlighted concerns about deforestation and community rights violations. The disappearance of forest rights titles in Chhattisgarh also raised questions about the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.