New Delhi | May 9, 2016: States have offered 47 blocks bearing minerals such as iron ore, bauxite and gold for auction, of which 16 saw deferment due to insufficient applications, Parliament was informed today.
Till date, nine mineral-producing states have offered 47 mineral blocks for the e-auction, as per the details presented by Minister of State for Mines Vishnu Deo Sai in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Auction was deferred for 16 mines due to "insufficient number of applications found at the time of opening of initial bids".
Of this, 5 are in Gujarat, 4 in Maharashtra, 3 in Rajasthan, 2 in Chhattisgarh and 1 each in Odisha and Jharkhand, the data showed.
The states successfully auctioned 6 mines -- 3 in Chhattisgarh, 2 in Jharkhand and 1 in Odisha, it added. This is expected to earn revenue of Rs 18,146 crore, including royalties.
The government has called a meeting of state governments this month to work out ways to make the next phase of mineral mine auction a success after the initial round failed to get a strong response from the industry.
The high-level meeting, to be chaired by Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, is scheduled to be held in Goa by the month end and will also discuss issues like setting up of District Mineral Foundation (DMF), the status of National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) and steps to check illegal mining.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)
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