India, Aug. 11 -- The government on Monday introduced an amendment bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to bar state governments from imposing taxes, cesses or levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands, saying excessive and unpredictable taxation would make the sector commercially unviable.

The Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 seeks to give the Centre greater regulatory command over mines, while expanding this power to mineral-bearing lands, for the "sustainable and uniform development of minerals", citing larger public interest. Opposition leaders, however, said the bill would undermine state fiscal powers and federalism, cautioning that it should not be passed in haste.

The bill was introduced ...