India passes Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill to centralize regulatory control

The Indian Parliament has passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. The legislation aims to establish a uniform fiscal framework for the nation's mineral sector by extending Union regulatory control to mineral-bearing lands.

A primary feature of the bill is the restriction of state governments' ability to levy taxes or impositions on mineral rights or lands, except under conditions prescribed by the Central Government. The bill also includes retrospective provisions that invalidate unpaid and unrecovered dues while barring the refund of amounts already collected by states.

This move follows a Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the legislative competence of Indian states to tax mineral rights and allowed for the recovery of past dues. The new amendment seeks to centralize these fiscal powers to ensure national uniformity.