The official reason for the cancellation is 'administrative inconvenience', but government insiders blame it on wrong interpretation by bidders
The state boasts of the country's largest iron ore output. In the last fiscal year, Odisha churned out 114 mt, contributing more than a half to the nationwide production of 207 mt
Under the new rules, mining leases of state-owned companies will be renewed automatically without going through the auction process
Earlier, the Union mines ministry had turned down a proposal of the Odisha government to increase the area limit of mining lease for iron ore
Bereft of captive iron ore resources, the non-integrated producers bank on merchant supplies to sustain their operations
Mineral sold was meant for firm's captive use; attached properties pertain to Usha Martin's wire rope business, mines were transferred earlier to Tata Steel as part of steel biz sold
After hitting a five-year high of $121 a tonne in July, spot iron ore prices tanked to $93
The mine was closed by NMDC for the past nine months, after a state government order to impose an 80 per cent premium levy of the average sale price from there
Leases of miners are going to expire in March 2020 and there is no way the arduous process of auction of mines will complete before the it expire
As it would happen, Indian merchant exporters could not take advantage of the catastrophic rupture of Vale-owned tailings dam linked to a major iron ore mine in Brazil's Minas Gerais in January