States gear up to auction 72 mineral blocks by end of this financial year

The Centre has also amended the Mineral Auction Rules to make the process less cumbersome

 

Seventy two (72) more mineral blocks are set to go under the hammer before the end of this financial year.

Twelve mineral-rich states- Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tamil Nadu would put the blocks to auctions. The mineral blocks on offer are those of iron ore, bauxite, manganese, limestone, copper, graphite, dolomite, gold and emerald.

The state governments are expected to issue Notice Inviting Tenders (NITs) for the mineral blocks before the end of January. A total of 33 limestone blocks, 12 iron ore, 11 bauxite, five copper, three each