Bhubaneswar, Aug 19: Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday strongly criticised the recent amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act), alleging that the legislation would adversely affect Odisha’s interests. He appealed to people across the state to unite and safeguard Odisha’s rights over its mineral resources.

In a video message, Patnaik highlighted the crucial contribution of mining revenue to Odisha’s economic transformation during the 24-year tenure of the BJD government. He said the state’s financial condition was poor when the BJD came to power in 2000, forcing the government to depend on overdrafts.

According to Patnaik, the BJD government left Odisha with a revenue surplus of around Rs 50,000 crore in 2024. He attributed the achievement to sound fiscal management, which, he said, helped accelerate development, reduce poverty, expand infrastructure and implement welfare programmes.

Patnaik alleged that the MMDR amendment was passed by Parliament without adequate discussion and claimed that only BJD MPs opposed it in the Rajya Sabha. He reiterated his demand for an all-party meeting and a special session of the Odisha Assembly to deliberate on the issue.

He said Odisha possesses the country’s largest reserves of chromite, bauxite, iron ore, coal and manganese, and stressed that protecting the state’s mineral resources was in the larger interest of its people.

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