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London-based mining and oil giant Vedanta ran a “covert” lobbying campaign in India to weaken environmental regulations during the pandemic, according to a new report by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
In 2021, Vedanta’s chairman, Anil Agarwal, wrote a letter to the then Environment Minister of India, Prakash Javedkar, saying the government could add “impetus” to India’s “rapid” economic recovery by allowing mining companies to boost production by up to 50% without having to secure new environmental clearances. According to the OCCRP report, Agarwal further recommended that the change could be made with “a simple notification”.
By early 2022, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change loosened the regulations to allow mining companies to increase production by up to 50% without holding public hearings for the same.
Such a move would mean the mining industry would not require new environmental approvals when increasi
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