Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sunday urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene an all-party meeting and a special session of the state Assembly to discuss the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2026, passed by Parliament last week.
Addressing a press conference here, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das opposed the legislation, describing it as a “threat” to the state’s fiscal autonomy.
Das said the proposed law could adversely affect the federal structure and claimed that mineral-rich states such as Odisha could face revenue losses.
“Looking at the provisions of this bill, it is evident that states rich in mines and minerals like Odisha will face unpredictable revenue losses, which will severely hamper the development of the respective states,” Das said in a letter to the chief minister.
He alleged that the amendment would centralise powers by taking away the states’ authority to levy taxes and cesses on mineral-bearing lands.
The Congress leader said that although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly spoken about cooperative federalism since assuming power, it is now clear that the main objective of this amendment is to centralise all powers.
“By stripping the state of its power to impose taxes and cesses on its own mineral-bearing lands, the Union government has dealt a heavy blow to federalism and state revenue autonomy,” Das alleged.
He said the state government will no longer be able to impose royalties, taxes, cesses, and duties on the mines located on Odisha’s soil, which simply means obstructing the development of the state.
“The CM must understand that the land resources of Odisha primarily belong to people of the state, who will battle widespread pollution and displacement due to mineral extraction, yet the state’s treasury will not benefit. This is a grave injustice to the state. It is unacceptable to bring such a law, which snatched away the legitimate rights of the states that had won the right to collect revenue from their own mines, completely contrary to the 2024 judgment of the apex court of the country,” Das mentioned in the letter.
Das said the party demands an all-party meeting and a special session of the assembly to discuss the topic.
The Congress’s demand came two days after BJD president Naveen Patnaik also opposed the passage of the MMDR Amendment Bill.
Patnaik too wrote a letter to the chief minister and demanded an all-party meeting and a special session of the assembly.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Mines on its official X handle said: “No revenue reduction to States. Royalty Auction Premium. DMF Benefits. Share of GST. Every revenue stream to States stays fully intact under the MMDR Amendment Bill 2026. Growth for the nation, gains for the States.”
