India's defense establishment emphasizes the strategic importance of critical minerals for modern defense systems, linking self-sufficiency to secure mineral value chains and the National Critical Minerals Mission. This perspective emerges amidst a charged public debate over mining in the Aravalli Hills. The article highlights India's tendency to grant 'strategic exemptions' for projects, including those related to national defense, often bypassing environmental impact assessments and public consultation, leading to opaque decision-making.