BHUBANESWAR: BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday lashed out at the Centre for pushing through the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, terming the move, a direct assault on Odisha’s fiscal and constitutional rights.
Naveen demanded a special session of the Assembly to pass a unanimous resolution against the legislation and protest the Centre’s bid to usurp the state’s powers. In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Naveen urged him to immediately convene an all-party meeting to build a consensus on protecting Odisha’s federal rights and mineral revenues.
“Odisha’s natural wealth belongs to her people, and the revenue generated from mining operations is crucial for financing healthcare, education, social welfare schemes and infrastructure development across the state. 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’s revenue authority,” he said.
Stating that fiscal autonomy is a constitutional principle embedded in India’s federal structure, Naveen said the amendment directly undermines a critical pillar of Centre-State relations. “The Bill has taken India’s federal structure in a retrogressive direction and strikes at the foundation of cooperative federalism,” he said.
The leader of Opposition in the Assembly said the issue transcended political affiliations as it directly impacts financial stability and future growth of Odisha. “If the Centre takes away the state’s authority over mineral-bearing lands and its right to levy cess, only pollution, displacement and burden of mining will remain with Odisha while the benefits are taken away from its people,” he argued.
Naveen said the legislative measure poses a serious threat to Odisha’s fiscal autonomy and constitutional rights over its natural resources. The amendment expands Centre’s control under section 2 of the Bill to include mineral-bearing land alongside regulation of mines. The section 9D explicitly prohibits the states from levying any tax, cess or similar levy on mineral rights or mineral-bearing lands. Besides, amendment to section 13 of the Bill grants the Centre sole authority to frame rules restricting state’s power to levy taxes on minerals, he added.
The leader of Opposition urged the chief minister to take immediate action in view of the gravity of the situation and its long-term adverse implications for Odisha’s economy.