Parliament Watch: Mines & minerals update bill approved, EPFO declarations

Parliament Approves Mines & Minerals Update Bill, Restricts States’ Powers to Tax Mining

The parliament Thursday gave its nod to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 that will impose certain conditions on state governments’ powers to impose taxes, cess or other levies on mineral rights or mineralbearing land.

The bill was approved by voice vote in both the houses of parliament. Speaking to reporters after the Rajya Sabha passed the Bill, mines minister G Kishan Reddy said: “Excessive fiscal burdens make mining operations commercially unviable, discourage mineral extraction, affect mineral production and, in some cases, lead to mine closures.”

On concerns raised by Opposition members of parliament that the Bill contravenes constitutional provisions, Reddy said the Centre will not get a share of the mining tax proceeds. “States will continue to be the primary beneficiaries of mining.


This law was necessary to ensure global competitiveness of mining sector,” the minister said. ET reported on January 1, 2025, that the Centre was planning to curb mining taxes imposed by states.

According to Reddy, any fiscal burden imposed on mineral extraction should be guided by a uniform and balanced fiscal framework across the country. He said the framework for putting these guardrails on states will be put in place

EPFO: Declarations of all Contractors Must

The Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme 2026 mandates declarations of all contractors on specified portals by principal employers.

Contractors are required to submit statutory returns containing details of employees, their wages, contributions etc, to principal employers and principal employers are also required to submit these details to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for tracking compliance, minister of state for labour and employment Shobha Karandlage informed Rajya Sabha