Former Odisha chief vows to block MMDR Amendment, warns of massive revenue loss

At a massive gathering in Lower PMG square, former chief minister and Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik announced that the party will continue its statewide agitation against the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act until the law is withdrawn. He claimed the amendment curtails Odisha’s authority to tax mineral-bearing lands, threatening a loss of thousands of crores in annual revenue. Patnaik criticized the BJP-led central government and the state administration for remaining mute on the matter and questioned the silence of the state’s twenty BJP MPs.

He said he had sent a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi requesting a special assembly debate and a resolution opposing the bill, but got no reply. Emphasizing the issue’s importance for future generations, Patnaik called on all political parties in the state to join the protest and pledged that the BJD will not allow the law’s implementation in Odisha.