Industries Minister Urges Rollback of Atomic Minerals Rules 2025

Quick Summary

• Industries Minister P.Rajeeve has called for the complete withdrawal of the Offshore areas Atomic Minerals Rules 2025 proposed by the Union government.
• The rules include provisions allowing private sector companies to mine and explore nuclear minerals, such as Uranium and Thorium, in offshore regions.
• Mr. Rajeeve argued that indiscriminate mining would harm marine ecosystems, reduce fish stocks, and potentially compromise national security.
• he stated that Kerala was not consulted despite its meaningful coastal area containing nuclear mineral-rich soil. Coastal areas of states like Kerala, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu are known to contain beach sand minerals vital for nuclear power generation.
• According to him, the rules limit states’ authority on mining permissions-vesting power solely in the Union government-which he described as a denial of constitutional rights to states.
• He also expressed concern over potential negative impacts on public sector enterprises involved in this industry.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The demand for withdrawal of the Offshore Areas Atomic Minerals Rules 2025 highlights tension between centralization efforts by the Union government and federal procurement rights contested by state authorities like Kerala. This raises crucial questions about balancing national priorities (e.g., nuclear energy resource extraction) with environmental protection responsibilities and respecting State governments’ constitutional prerogatives.

Given India’s reliance on strategic resources such as Thorium for bolstering energy needs through nuclear power generation,these regulations could foster economic benefits but might also exacerbate ecological challenges-particularly concerning marine biodiversity. furthermore, limiting state-level participation may lead to governance friction that undercuts cooperative federalism principles foundational to India’s political structure.

at stake are intertwined interests of economic advancement versus environmental sustainability alongside debates surrounding decentralization versus central oversight-a multidimensional issue significant not only for Kerala but potentially other coastal states housing similar reserves.

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