State-owned CIL allocated 42.51 million tonne of coal in 2020-21 under spot e-auction scheme, registering a year-on-year increase of 42.5 per cent.
Coal India Ltd (CIL) had allocated 29.83 MT of the dry fuel in 2019-20, according to government data.
Fuel allocation by CIL under the scheme also increased to 5.30 MT in March, from over 2.53 2 MT in the corresponding month of 2019-20, it said.
Coal distribution through e-auction was introduced with a view to providing access to coal for such buyers who are not able to source the dry fuel through the available institutional mechanism, according to CIL website.
The purpose of e-auction is to provide equal opportunity to all intending buyers for purchasing coal through single window service.