The amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act bars states from imposing independent taxes or cesses on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land without Union government approval. Legislators from across party lines submitted 13 written questions on the change, including its potential effect on Odisha’s finances.
Jena said the state would quantify the impact after the central government issues rules for the new provision, Section 9D. Figures previously cited in the Odisha Review or in Supreme Court proceedings, he said, were not a departmental assessment of the amendment’s financial effect. The legal and operational consequences must first be established. He added that the government would use existing statutory powers to protect the state’s mineral resources and revenue interests.
The answer comes as opposition parties prepare protests outside the Assembly. The Biju Janata Dal says Odisha could lose more than ₹1 lakh crore in tax arrears and ₹12,000 crore in annual revenue; those figures are political claims, not an assessment released by the state government. The BJD says party president Naveen Patnaik will lead its rally on September 28 and is demanding repeal of the amendment. INDIA bloc parties have called a separate protest for September 29. The BJD argues that Odisha, which it says holds 44% of India’s mineral resources, would bear the greatest cost and plans to extend its campaign across the state.