71 mineral blocks to go under hammer in FY18, says Mines ministry

These include 6 blocks in Andhra, 11 in Chhattisgarh, 12 blocks in Gujarat, 9 in Jharkhand

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As many as 71 mineral blocks have been identified for auction in the current financial year, the government said today.

These include 6 blocks in in Andhra Pradesh, 11 in Chhattisgarh, 12 blocks in Gujarat, 9 in Jharkhand, the Ministry of Mines said in a statement.

Besides, 18 blocks are in Maharashtra, 7 in Odisha and 8 blocks in Rajasthan, it said.

In a meeting of the Coordination-Cum-Empowered Committee (CCEC) of the major mineral producing states under the chairmanship of Secretary Mines Arun Kumar held here deliberate discussion took place on preparedness for e-auction of mineral blocks for 2017-18.

Representatives from seventeen states were present in the meeting. The discussion mainly focussed on the states' preparedness for e-auction of mineral blocks for 2017-18, the Ministry of Mines said.

"The seven states informed the Secretary Mines that as many as 71 blocks have been identified for e-auctioning during the remaining part of the year 2017-18," it said.

The secretary has asked the states to expedite and monitor the auctions, "as recently a large number of leases have elapsed due to the section 10A(2)(c) of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act 1957, which should now come up for auction route only", it said.

He further said that as a large number of merchant mining leases will come up for auction on March 31, 2020, the states need to prepare their plans in advance latest by September this year and share it with the mines ministry so that production slack can be met and the supply of essential minerals and iron ore remain smooth.

"The auctions conducted so far will fetch Rs 85,250 crore to states of which the additional contribution due to auction is Rs 67,501 crore over the licence period of 50 years. Just 4 states constitute 90% of this takeaway and other states need to expedite their mining auctions," he said.

The CCEC meeting also discussed other key issues of the mining sector like Minor Mineral Rules, status of project implementation under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) and the creation of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) after the MMDR Amendment Act with effect from January 12, 2015, to address the development goals of the people affected by mining, it said.

The meeting also reviewed the progress in Mining Tenement System (MTS) implementation, Mining Surveillance System (MSS), the Star rating of mines, and the action plan for auctioning the mining leases expiring in March 2020, it added.