Every UPSC aspirant must closely follow the ongoing Aravalli hills controversy and the environmental debate it continues to generate. The Aravalli issue could well be among the topics students and aspirants get assessed on during their UPSC Prelims 2026 examination.
A question can be raised based on the Aravalli controversy in the integration of Environment, Polity and Geography amidst heated discussions and debate on current environmental challenges, sustainable development and the Supreme Court judgement.
For beginners, the Aravalli controversy relates to continuous attempts by the states of Haryana and Rajasthan to de-notify parts of the vast mountain range as 'non-forest land'. If attempts to classify the range as a non-forest entity are successful, fears are that we will witness a widespread dilution of forest and environmental protection under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. It will lead to construction, mining and real estate projects in the area, harming the range that plays a critical role in India's biodiversity.
Recognising the importance of the Aravalli hills to the country's nature conservation and environmental protection efforts, the Supreme Court of India had banned mining in the hills. However, reports suggest those hills are still reeling with illegal mining. That has brought under scrutiny the SC's enforcement of judgment, failing to ensure the Aravalli Hills are well protected and preserved.
Spanning over 600-800 kms across the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana as well as the Delhi-NCR region, the Aravalli hills are considered the green lungs of the north Indians. Any destruction caused to this vast and influential range is considered a major environmental threat, leading to rising air pollution, groundwater depletion, desertification and higher temperatures. Environment experts have warned that damage to the Aravalli would result in the eastern expansion of the Thar Desert and worsen the already worrying climate change by reducing the rainfall.
While states argue that these hills don't officially identify as forests on record, environmentalists continue to cite their ecological importance and want them to be preserved. The topic may therefore fall in UPSC themes like federalism, environmental governance and judicial activism.