New Delhi, Dec. 24 -- The Union government's new definition of Aravallis, accepted by the Supreme Court on November 20, and which has raised widespread concerns about the opening up of the Aravallis to mining and other land use change, also makes way for the mining of critical and atomic minerals across the entire mountain range. The technical committee constituted by the court to come out with a uniform definition of the Aravallis noted a request of the mines ministry that the Aravalli Hills are host to several important major minerals such as lead, zinc, silver, copper etc. The Aravalli-Delhi system has been identified as having significant potential for critical minerals such as tin, graphite, molybdenum, niobium, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements (REEs), all of which are of growing strategic relevance for energy transition and national security. These are "essential for the economic development of the country and transition to cleaner sources of energy" , are "site specific" and "the country is presently reliant on imports to meet the demand" the technical committee said in its report. The new definition will only be applied to mining, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has clarified adding that no mining is anyway allowed in NCR, but that "no new mining leases will be granted except in the case of critical, strategic and atomic minerals". The technical committee's report also said that the Rajasthan government reiterated the presence of deep-seated minerals covered under the 7th Schedule of the MMDR Act in the Aravallis. "Beneath its surface, the Aravalli Range holds immense mineral wealth. Its rocks rich in marble, granite, mica, and other minerals have fuelled centuries of mining and construction across the region. While this has added economic value, it has also brought challenges related to environmental degradation,"the report added....