Bhubaneswar, Nov 22: In a major policy overhaul, the Odisha government has moved to curb illegal sand mining and bring uniformity to sand prices across the state. The Cabinet on Friday approved amendments to the Odisha Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016, introducing several key reforms aimed at tightening regulation and improving affordability.

As part of the new measures, the government will implement a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sand, preventing leaseholders from arbitrarily increasing rates. Sand will now be sold strictly at government-fixed MSP, ensuring lower and uniform prices for consumers statewide.

The state has also decided to discontinue the existing e-auction system for sand extraction, replacing it with an e-lottery process for granting mining leases. Additionally, storage licenses will be made mandatory for stocking sand and other minor minerals; unauthorized storage will be treated as illegal.

Announcing the decisions, Mines Minister Bibhuti Jena stated that the reforms are aimed at eliminating the sand mafia and ensuring transparent, people-friendly operations in the sector.