India’s natural wealth risks turning into a curse if the proposed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill fails to address extreme poverty, environmental degradation, and weak rule of law in mining regions. Oxfam India and the network of civil society organizations in India, ‘mines, minerals & PEOPLE’, urges decision makers and parliamentarians to prioritise the long-term stability of mining regions and the wellbeing of the people over short-term profits by amending the Bill.