Vote for BJP in urban local bodies" poll for "triple engine" govt in UP: Adityanath
UP: Man booked for attempting to rape 5-year-old girl
Congress to mark 100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra with concert in Jaipur
BJYM, Hindu outfits put off planned protest march at AMU
Karachi battles gas crisis; residents face unannounced load shedding, 2-hr gas supply in a day
Elderly man in judicial custody dies during treatment in UP hospital
Himachal Pradesh skittle Haryana for 46, take 200-run lead on Day 1
Pak court grants protective bail to PM Shehbaz"s son Suleman in money laundering case
British Library celebrates India ties with exhibition on Hampi
Nine policemen suspended after suspect dies in police custody in UP
Gangster"s property attached in UP"s Pratapgarh district
Maoists torch construction company vehicles in Jharkhand’s Chatra district
Sino-India border situation "generally stable": China on Yangtse clash
Babar Azam not taking advice from seniors, claims Shahid Afridi
Qlite Global launches their exclusive Grand Experience Centre
"Disillusioned with central leadership": Sikkim BJP president says he has resigned
2001 attack anniversary: Ready to guard new Parliament if directed, say CRPF heroes
Class 2 student dies after scuffle with fellow students in UP
Three killed in accident in UP"s Lakhimpur KheriLakhimpur Kheri (UP), Dec 13 (PTI) Three motorcycle borne youths were killed and "
Abandoned girl child from Assam adopted by Spanish professor
BY-DN Singh
After a prolonged hiatus of almost 24 years former chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, at last, has not only jumped into the league of Zen Z but he has risked his political safety by smashing the iron curtain of over two decade long Bonhomie with Narendra Modi by waging a war of politics over couple of issues.
Patnaik sides with Zen Z
Fairly recently the Biju Janata Dal chief Patnaik openly announced his support for the agitating youths in Jantar Mantar but, at the same breath he described them as the fabrics of democracy. Beforehand he had demanded the resignation of former Union minister of education Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET paper leak taking moral responsibility.
“My support is there with the protesting students who demand a quick course correction by the Union government and respect their sentiments as the agitation has assumed a national importance” Patnaik said in a video in the media platform.
More recently Patnaik has fired salvos at the amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) MMDR Act 1957 in the parliament without any prior notice or a discussion with the opposition in the parliament.
"Sad that twenty BJP MPs from Odisha have maintained a stoic silence on the amendment, whereas BJD MPs in the Rajya Sabha opposed the amendment and would continue to do that" warned Patnaik.
The 79 year old BJD leader minced no words to describe the step as most damaging for all the states having rich deposits of minerals but the recent amendment has deprived the mineral rich states from which according to Patnaik ‘is an aberration’ of the decades old understanding.
It sets rules for granting mining leases, auctions, and environmental protections related to major minerals across the country. It helps balance state and central government roles in managing mineral wealth and taxes.
However, after the recent amendment the states remain deprived of collecting taxes from lease holding miners and it is the Central government that would collect taxes and would decide the share of taxes of the state.
Patnaik has requested all concerned to rally together and exert pressure on the Union Government to do away with the amendment of MMDR, so that the states with rich mineral wealth can get the taxes which would help implement peoples’ oriented measures like education and health and so on.
It may be mentioned here that the state of Odisha has a rich deposit of Chromites, Iron ore, Manganese, Bauxite and Nickel. It has Chromite that features to be the highest in the Asian sub-continent.
“Now, post the amendment of the MMDR Act the states are subjected to the mercy of the Centre to get the royalty over minerals” Patnaik said.
“Draconian”
There are several other mineral rich states in the country that have yet to come out openly on the recent amendment.
“How can the Centre take such an unilateral decision of amending the Act without consulting the states concerned? This sounds completely draconian” jibed Rabi Das, political commentator in Odisha.
Patnaik who has been unfailingly supporting the Modi led dispensation in both Houses of the parliament on various issues, his recent stance must have surprised the team Modi.
“It is to be seen as how the opposition takes on such an important matter like MMDR and pressurise the Centre to rethink” quipped a legislator from the BJP requesting anonymity. And added ‘ Odisha or any other mineral rich state cannot take it lying low.
Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.
Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.
