Digging for gold

Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which put the extraction and management of minerals in the hands of the Central government. Many in Odisha, one of India’s most mineral-rich States, fear that the new law will impact the State’s fiscal health, while also disrupting the Centre-State relationship. Satyasundar Barik delves into the amendment’s far-reaching implications through the views of multiple stakeholders