Now Reading: Jharkhand CM Soren urges PM to reconsider mining Bill, flags revenue impact
-
01
Jharkhand CM Soren urges PM to reconsider mining Bill, flags revenue impact
Jharkhand CM Soren urges PM to reconsider mining Bill, flags revenue impact
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, passed by Parliament on Thursday, warning that restrictions on…
The Story in Brief
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, passed by Parliament on Thursday, warning that restrictions on state levies could slash the state's fiscal space, The Hindu reports.
Soren noted that mining revenue formed 84.9% of the state's own non-tax revenue in 2024-25, and the Mineral Bearing Land Cess was expected to generate Rs 7,110 crore annually. He said the bill could impair welfare schemes like the Mukhyamantri Maiyaa Samman Yojana and reserved the right to approach the Supreme Court.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative casting the mining bill as either a necessary central intervention or an assault on federalism misses the real debate: who pays for mining's long-term costs? Jharkhand's dependence on mineral revenue, 84.9% of non-tax income, is undeniable, but the Centre claims states' rights remain intact. The key test will be whether the new law allows states to levy a cess like the Mineral Bearing Land Cess, or forces them to rely on central transfers. That will settle whether this is cooperative federalism or central overreach.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
