• Proposal: NALCO is reportedly identifying about 4,000 hectares of saline land at Naupada. It has reportedly moved away from a September agreement with Global Alumina, signed during CM Mohan Charan Majhi’s UAE visit, to expand a 0.5 million-tonne project at Anugola, Odisha.
• Objections: Pottangi MLA Rama Chandra Kadam accused the Centre of betraying Odisha. Patra argued that processing Odisha’s bauxite in another state would deny the state revenue, value-added manufacturing and local jobs.
• Legal provisions cited: Samata v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1996), Section 9B of the MMDR Act, 1957, and international instruments (UNDRIP, ICESCR).

• NALCO: A Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Mines, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, with its mine at Panchpatmali (Koraput), refinery at Damanjodi and smelter at Angul.
• Samata judgment (1996): The Supreme Court held that government and forest land in Scheduled Areas cannot be leased to non-tribals or private companies for mining.
• MMDR Act, 1957: Section 9B provides for the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), which benefits mining-affected communities.
• Fifth Schedule and PESA, 1996: Protect Scheduled Areas such as Koraput and empower Gram Sabhas.
• Odisha’s bauxite: The state is India’s leading producer, with reserves in the Eastern Ghats (Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi).

Mineral-based industrialisation, the Samata judgment, the District Mineral Foundation under the MMDR Act, the Fifth Schedule and PESA, and Odisha’s bauxite belt in the Eastern Ghats are recurring themes for OPSC Prelims (Odisha Geography, Polity, Current Events) and OPSC Mains GS Paper III (Economy) and GS Paper II (Polity).

For structured notes on Odisha-specific current affairs, aspirants preparing in Bhubaneswar can join the OPSC Foundation Batch at Strive Edge IAS — recognized as one of the best OPSC OAS coaching institutes in Bhubaneswar.