Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday urged the state government to oppose the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2026, alleging that the legislation would erode Odisha’s constitutional rights over its mineral resources, reduce its revenue earnings and weaken the country’s federal structure.
The party also demanded that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi convene a special session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly to deliberate on the issue.
In a letter to the chief minister, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said the legislation, passed by Parliament, would have far-reaching implications for mineral-rich states such as Odisha. He claimed that the proposed changes would enable the Centre to exercise greater control over mineral-related taxation and revenue, thereby limiting the state’s fiscal autonomy.
The Congress maintained that Odisha, one of the country’s leading mineral-producing states, could suffer substantial financial losses if its powers to levy royalties, taxes, cesses and other duties on minerals are curtailed. According to the party, mining revenue has historically been a major source of funds for welfare schemes and infrastructure development in the state.
The OPCC argued that any decline in mineral revenue would directly affect expenditure on healthcare, education, road and infrastructure projects, as well as employment generation. It said the state’s developmental programmes could face financial constraints if the Centre assumes a greater share of revenue generated from mineral resources.
Expressing concern over the federal structure, the Congress alleged that the legislation reflects growing centralisation of powers at the expense of the states. The party contended that while states continue to bear the environmental and social costs of mining—including pollution, ecological degradation and the displacement of local communities—they would receive a smaller share of the financial benefits arising from the extraction of natural resources.
The opposition party also referred to the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment on mineral-bearing lands, claiming that the verdict recognised the rights of states to collect revenue from their mineral resources. It alleged that the new legislation runs contrary to the spirit of that judgment.
Describing the issue as one of both constitutional and economic significance, Bhakta Charan Das urged the chief minister to convene an all-party consultation and call a special session of the Assembly to formulate a united stand for protecting Odisha’s interests.
