The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has published a draft notification proposing to exempt a specific category of standalone cement grinding units from the requirement of obtaining prior Environmental Clearance (EC).
The proposal, published on September 26, 2025, aims to rationalize the regulatory burden for units that demonstrate a significantly lower environmental footprint and utilize green logistics.
Scope of Proposed Exemption
The draft notification seeks to amend the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006 by adding the following exemption under item 3(b) of the Schedule:
Standalone Cement Grinding Units without a Captive Power Plant and with complete transportation of raw materials and finished products exclusively via Railways and/or E-Vehicles, or a combination of both, are proposed to be exempted from the requirement of prior Environmental Clearance.
Rationale for the Change
The Central Government and its Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Expert Advisory Committee justified the exemption based on the following observations:
- Lower Pollution Potential: Standalone grinding units (without calcination and clinkerization processes) have lower carbon emissions, reduced waste generation, and less energy consumption compared to integrated cement plants.
- Encouraging Green Logistics: Mandating complete reliance on railways and/or E-Vehicles for 100% of inward and outward transportation drastically reduces the pollution potential associated with road transport.
- Regulatory Burden: Despite their lower environmental risk, these units are currently subjected to a complex regulatory regime similar to integrated plants, leading to disproportionate compliance obligations.
The Expert Advisory Committee specifically agreed with the recommendation, provided the implementation includes stringent environmental safeguards, especially concerning transportation via E-Vehicles.
Public Consultation
The draft notification is published for public information and review. Any person interested in making objections or suggestions on the proposed exemption must submit them in writing to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, or send them via email to diriapolicy-moefcc@gov.in.
The Central Government will take the draft notification into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of sixty days from the date the gazette copy was made available to the public.