The peaceful existence of the Dongria Gondh tribe and their practice of sustainable agriculture based on the forest produce was brought under threat when on June 7, 2003, Vedanta Aluminum Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha for the construction of a 1 MTPA (one million ton per annum) alumina refinery, along with a 75megawatt coalbased power plant in the Lanjigarh region of Kalahandi district. For the purpose of obtaining bauxite for this alumina refinery, Vedantaowned Sterlite Industries also entered the picture, with plans to construct an openpit, 3 MTPA bauxite mining plant at the top of the sacred Niyam Dongar mountain. In March 2004, Sterlite applied for environmental clearance to the refinery, arguing that the plant is independent of the proposed mine and falsely claiming that the construction of the refinery will not involve diversion of forestland. Despite several inconsistencies in the application, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) granted clearance to the refinery. While Vedantas dubious methods were being ignored by the MoEFCC, three petitioners subsequently filed applications with the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court to investigate the environmental clearances granted. In 2005, in a scathing report to the Supreme Court, the CEC noted that the MoEFCC had wrongfully given clearance to Vedanta and that it had ignored the various environmental threats that would arise from the proposed project, pointing out how the project violated the Forest Rights Act, the Forest (Conservation) Act and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It recommended that the environmental clearance granted to Vedanta be revoked, the company be directed to stop further work on the project and mining on Niyamgiri Hills be banned. On August 8, 2008 the Supreme Court completely disregarded the CECs recommendations and approved the clearance of forestland for mining in the Niyamgiri Hills. Despite the vociferous protests, environmental clearance was granted to Sterlite Industries in April 2009 for mining operations a decision which spelled doom for the Dongria Kondh tribe. In the aftermath of the Supreme Courts decision, the movement against Vedanta, which had so far been marked by a steady stream of protests, gained momentum. It soon became a transnational movement. Organisations like Survival International and Amnesty International visited the protest site in India regularly and also organised mass rallies outside Vedanta's London office. Witnessing the companys treatment towards the Dongria Kondh tribe and its involvement in the blatant violation of human rights, many international investors like the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, Martin Currie, the Church of England and Marlborough Ethical Fund sold their stocks in the company. Fueled by the continuous protests and mass support for the tribe, the Government of India sent a team of experts to the Niyamgiri Hills in 2010. The Dongria Kondhs emerged victorious on August 21, 2010, when a review of the mining project carried out by the MoEFCC exposed the violation of a number of environmental regulations by the company. After denying the company forest clearance in 2010, then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh delivered a final blow by revoking Vedantas environmental clearance in July 2011. The Odisha government – through the stateowned company Orissa Mining Corporation petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse the mining ban on Vedanta and to allow the sixfold expansion of the alumina refinery. In a landmark decision for tribes rights in India, the Supreme Court on April 18, 2013, rejected the appeal on the mining ban and decreed that the Dongria Kondh tribe would have a decisive say in giving the goahead to Vedantas mining project. Twelve gram sabhas were chosen by the state government to make the crucial decision. In the three months after the Supreme Court ruling, amidst heavy police presence and persistent threats from Vedanta, 11 gram sabhas voted against the mining project, and on August 19, 2013, the 12th and final gram sabha delivered a resounding No. In January 2014, the MoEFCC, which had earlier aided Vedantas invasion of Niyamgiri, crushed the companys mining ambitions by completely rejecting the project. However, the community and their land continue to be under threat. On February 25, 2016, the OMC filed an application with the Supreme Court, challenging its previous judgement, alleging that the gram sabha resolutions had technical errors; the apex court upheld its earlier judgement by rejecting the OMC's petition. There have been reports of clashes between the tribespeople and the authorities/security forces, with several members of the Niyamgiri Surakhsha Samiti being arrested and paraded as maoists, in what they claim is an attempt by the government to weaken the movement against the refinery's planned expansion and its repeated attempts to review the mining ban. From 2018 onwards, Vedanta has made official announcements regarding its plan to expand its refinery in Langigarh, which has been operational since 2005. Local residents, meanwhile, continue to fight as the refinery has caused ecological degradation in the area. In February 2021, the Board of Directors of Vedanta approved the expansion of the Langigarh plant from 2MTPA to 5MTPA at the cost of INR 3,779 crore seeking for it to be one of the world's largest single location alumni refinery complex.