Niyamgiri is a range of hills in Odisha. It holds bauxite, the ore of aluminium. It is also a sacred mountain for the Dongria Kondh people. A mining plan there led to one of India’s best known forest-rights fights.
This lesson explains the hills, the people and the law. It then follows the case to the Supreme Court in 2013 and the news of 2026. For related reading, see India’s Conservation Framework: Forests, Laws and Debates and Mining Industry in India: Wealth vs. Its Small GDP Share.
- Place: Niyamgiri hills, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, Odisha, in the Eastern Ghats.
- People: the Dongria Kondh, who worship the hills as Niyam Raja.
- Dispute: a Vedanta and Orissa Mining Corporation plan to mine bauxite.
- Turning point: Supreme Court, 18 April 2013. Gram sabhas decide.
- Outcome: all the gram sabhas rejected the mine in 2013.
Where Is Niyamgiri?
What kind of place is it?
Niyamgiri is a hill range in southern Odisha. It lies in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. It is part of the Eastern Ghats.
The slopes are thick forest. Streams from the hills feed local rivers. The top of the range holds bauxite.
For the wider range, read The Eastern Ghats.
Check 1
The Niyamgiri hills are part of the Eastern Ghats.
Who Are the Dongria Kondh?
Why do they matter in this story?
The Dongria Kondh are a tribal community of the Niyamgiri hills. India lists them as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. They live by farming on slopes and by gathering forest produce.
They see the hills as the home of Niyam Raja, their god. Mining the top would, in their view, destroy their god and their way of life.
Think it through: A company says the mine will bring jobs. The villagers say the hill is a god. Who should decide? Hint: ask which law lets a village speak for itself.
Why Is Bauxite Valuable?
Bauxite is the ore of aluminium. Three steps turn it into metal. The table shows where Niyamgiri and Lanjigarh fit.
| Stage | What happens | Link to this story |
|---|---|---|
| Bauxite | Ore is mined from the ground | The Niyamgiri top holds bauxite |
| Alumina | Ore is refined into aluminium oxide | Lanjigarh refinery, Kalahandi |
| Aluminium | Alumina is smelted using large amounts of power | Smelters elsewhere in Odisha |
Check 2
The Lanjigarh plant smelts alumina into aluminium metal.
How Did the Fight Unfold?
What was the plan?
Vedanta built the Lanjigarh refinery to run on bauxite. The Orissa Mining Corporation and Vedanta planned to mine the Niyamgiri top for it. The hills fall in a forest area, so forest clearance was needed.
What did the 2010 review find?
A committee headed by N.C. Saxena studied the case. It found problems with forest and tribal-rights laws. In August 2010 the environment ministry refused further forest clearance.
What did the Supreme Court say in 2013?
On 18 April 2013 the Court decided Orissa Mining Corporation v. Ministry of Environment and Forests. It said the gram sabhas must decide whether the mine harms their religious rights.
Between July and August 2013, the gram sabhas in 12 villages met. Every one of them rejected the mine.
Check 3
In 2013 the gram sabhas rejected the Niyamgiri mining plan.
Which Laws Gave Tribes a Voice?
What does the Forest Rights Act do?
The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities. These include community and cultural rights. The gram sabha is the body that decides.
What is PESA?
PESA is the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. It gives gram sabhas in Scheduled Areas power over local resources and cultural identity.
Together, the two laws made village assemblies a real check on big projects.
For the Court’s wider record on nature cases, see The Supreme Court’s Environmental Jurisprudence in India.
Current Affairs: 2026
Niyamgiri revival push
- [Policy] On 29 September 2026 the National Alliance of People’s Movements opposed any revival of Niyamgiri mining. It also asked for the Lanjigarh refinery to be shut. So what: the 2013 gram sabha votes remain the legal and moral base of the opposition. (Source: Countercurrents)
- [Data] On 26 September 2026, after meeting Odisha’s Chief Minister, Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal announced a plan of about ₹1 lakh crore in Odisha. It includes reviving Niyamgiri bauxite mining, subject to land and clearances. No approval was reported. So what: a revival would need fresh forest-rights consent from the gram sabhas. (Source: Entrepreneur)
Exam Traps
Do not say the Court banned mining in India. It handed the decision to the gram sabhas.
Do not place Lanjigarh in Rayagada. The refinery is in Kalahandi.
Remember the order: Saxena review in 2010, Supreme Court in April 2013, gram sabhas in July and August 2013.
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