Odisha govt cracks down on sand and stone mafia, doubles additional levy on minor minerals

The Odisha government has dealt a strong blow to the sand and stone mafia by increasing the additional levy on minor minerals. 

In a major move aimed at curbing illegal mining and boosting State revenue, the government has decided to increase penalties under existing rules.

As per the Odisha Minor Mineral Concession Rules-2016, the State government has decided to raise the additional levy to twice the royalty amount. The stringent measure has been introduced to check illegal mining operations, concealment of production data, and large-scale evasion of royalty in the extraction and trade of minor minerals such as sand, stone, morrum, and laterite.

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As per sources, the absence of strong financial penalties earlier had encouraged repeated violations, leading to significant revenue losses for the state. The new provision is expected to deter offenders and plug revenue leakages from the minor minerals sector.

With the implementation of the revised levy, the State government anticipates a substantial increase in revenue inflow to the exchequer while strengthening enforcement against illegal mining activities.