Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena urged Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special session of the Odisha Assembly for a detailed discussion on the Supreme Court’s verdict on cess on minerals, which will create a road map for the state’s socio-economic development.

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Friday that rejected the Union government’s review petition upholding its judgment delivered on July 25 and August 14 this year on the issue of levy on cess on mining and mineral-use activities, Jena said the apex court has made it clear that the states can impose cess on mining activities. “Odisha is likely to benefit by ₹1 lakh crore because of this judgement alone, which made it clear that such taxes could be collected with retrospective effect from 2005,” the former minister maintained.

Jena said: “The rulings of the SC allow mineral-bearing states to levy taxes and cess on minerals and mineral-bearing lands. This will undoubtedly bring much-needed economic relief to Odisha, which has long struggled with poverty and underdevelopment. The chief minister should convene a special session of the assembly on the issue.”

Jena said: “The Odisha government should immediately withdraw the petition on ORISED (Orissa Rural Infrastructure and Socio-Economic Development Act 2004) pending in the Supreme Court challenging the Odisha High Court ruling of 2005. It should scrap the ORISED Act of 2004 and introduce a new bill in the Assembly. The new bill can include several important provisions to better serve the interests of Odisha, which was completely ignored in the ORISED Act of 2004.”

For fixing the market value of minerals, Jena said: “A committee of experts should be established to determine the market value of minerals. This committee should be chaired by a high court judge, to ensure transparency and fairness in the valuation process.”