Fearing no response, Odisha govt delays auctioning of bauxite blocks

Across the country, six bauxite blocks have been offered for competitive bidding. All six blocks have been auctioned in Maharashtra, data from the Union mines ministry website showed

The Odisha government is in a fix over auctioning of bauxite blocks. Despite a few blocks already explored up to the G2 level and thus meeting the criteria set by Mineral Auction Rules 2015, not a single bauxite deposit has been hitherto put to online auctions in the state that boasts of 55 per cent of the country’s reserves.

The state government fears that auctioning bauxite blocks may not elicit an overwhelming response unlike iron ore which is a key draw for Odisha due to the presence of a cluster of steel plants and other end user industries dependent on