Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Monday sought greater support from the Centre to strengthen the state’s mining sector, highlighting Odisha’s critical role in India’s mineral economy and industrial growth.
The demands were placed before Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy during a meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.
According to an official statement, Majhi informed the Union minister that Odisha produced around 471 million tonnes of minerals during 2025-26 and generated nearly Rs 46,000 crore in revenue.
“However, active support from the Central government is required to further accelerate Odisha’s growth in the mining sector,” the chief minister said.
Majhi urged the Centre to expedite forest and environmental clearances for mineral blocks that have already been auctioned in the state.
He also sought central assistance for the allocation of the Sashubohumali bauxite block and the Thakurani iron ore block to the state-run Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).
ଆଜି ଲୋକସେବା ଭବନଠାରେ ମାନ୍ୟବର କେନ୍ଦ୍ର କୋଇଲା ଓ ଖଣି ମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ ଶ୍ରୀ @kishanreddybjp ଙ୍କ ସହ ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ଖଣିଜ କ୍ଷେତ୍ରର ବିକାଶ ଏବଂ ରାଜ୍ୟର ଅଭିବୃଦ୍ଧିକୁ ଆହୁରି ତ୍ୱରାନ୍ୱିତ କରିବା ଦିଗରେ ଏକ ଗୁରୁତ୍ୱପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ବୈଠକ ଅନୁଷ୍ଠିତ ହୋଇଯାଇଛି।
ଏହି ବୈଠକରେ ନିଲାମ୍ ହୋଇଥିବା ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ଖଣି ବ୍ଲକ୍ଗୁଡ଼ିକର ମଞ୍ଜୁରୀ ପ୍ରକ୍ରିୟା… pic.twitter.com/nKB5ElQnKU
— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) June 1, 2026
The chief minister further requested support for the rapid development of railway and port infrastructure to make mineral transportation more efficient and cost-effective.
He also proposed the formulation of a framework for refilling abandoned coal mines with fly ash as an environmentally sustainable measure and sought assistance in adopting advanced technologies for mineral exploration and analysis.
Responding to the issues raised, Reddy said coordination among ministries and departments such as Railways, Ports, Forest and Environment would be essential to address challenges facing the mining sector, according to the statement.
The Union minister proposed holding a high-level meeting involving the Centre and the state government to resolve pending issues through coordinated discussions.
Majhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had emphasised implementing welfare schemes in a saturation mode and stressed the need for integrated utilisation of state and central government schemes, District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds and corporate social responsibility (CSR) resources in mining-affected areas.
The chief minister informed the meeting that the state government has launched the ‘CM Sampada’ scheme to support this objective.
Senior officials from public sector mining and energy companies, including Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), NLC India Limited (NLCIL), Singareni Collieries Company Limited and the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), participated in the discussions.
During his visit, Reddy also reviewed the performance and future expansion plans of NALCO.
He emphasised the need to enhance production efficiency, accelerate capacity expansion and strengthen India’s mineral and metal value chain to meet the requirements of a rapidly growing economy.
He said NALCO has a crucial role in advancing the vision of a developed India through sustainable growth, resource security and increased domestic production.
Reddy also reviewed the progress of projects undertaken by MCL and NLC India Limited in Odisha, focusing on production targets, project execution and expansion plans.
He directed officials to resolve pending issues expeditiously to ensure faster implementation of projects and contribute to the country’s goals of energy security and economic growth, the statement said.
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