Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday, 1 June held a high-level meeting with Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, pressing the Centre for stronger support to accelerate the state's mining sector and deepen Odisha's role in India's mineral economy.

Odisha's Mining Footprint

Chief Minister Majhi underscored the scale of the state's contribution, noting that Odisha produced nearly 471 million tonnes of minerals during the 2025-26 financial year, generating revenue of approximately ₹46,000 crore. He argued that with greater Central cooperation, the sector's growth trajectory could be significantly accelerated.

Key Demands Placed Before the Centre

Majhi urged the Union Minister to expedite forest and environmental clearances for already-auctioned mining blocks in the state — a persistent bottleneck that has slowed project rollouts. He also sought the Centre's support for allocating the Sasubohumali Bauxite Block and the Thakurani Iron Ore Block to the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).

The Chief Minister further highlighted the urgent need for rail and port infrastructure upgrades to make mineral transportation more efficient and cost-effective. He additionally proposed a policy framework for filling abandoned coal mines with fly ash — positioning it as an environmentally sustainable reclamation measure — and requested facilitated access to advanced technologies for mineral analysis and resource assessment.

Centre's Response and Proposed Path Forward

Union Minister Reddy acknowledged that resolving the sector's structural issues requires coordinated action across multiple ministries, including Railways, Ports, and Forest and Environment. He proposed convening a dedicated high-level inter-ministerial meeting, bringing together all concerned Central ministries and the Odisha government to chart a comprehensive, collaborative resolution.

Community Welfare and the CM Sampada Initiative

The meeting also addressed development in mining-affected regions and welfare of local communities. The Odisha government presented its dedicated initiative, 'CM Sampada', designed to promote integrated development in mining areas and ensure effective utilisation of resources for community welfare.

Both sides agreed to integrate Central and state government schemes with District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for coordinated implementation in mining regions. Issues concerning Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) operating in the mining sector were also taken up during the discussions.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised implementing welfare schemes in a 'saturation mode' to ensure complete coverage of all eligible beneficiaries — a framework that both sides agreed should guide the integration of DMF and CSR spending in Odisha's mining belts.

With a formal inter-ministerial meeting now proposed, the pace of clearances and infrastructure investments in Odisha's mineral-rich districts will be closely watched in the months ahead.