KOLKATA: India is contemplating the launch of its eighth round of auctions for commercial coal mines, with plans to offer approximately 40 blocks, according to union coal secretary Amrit Lal Meena during his address at the inauguration of the 10th Asian Mining Congress (AMC) and the International Mining, Equipment, Minerals & Metals Exhibition (IME 2023) held concurrently at Eco Park, Kolkata.
Meena disclosed that union coal minister Pralhad Joshi is expected to make a formal announcement regarding this on November 15.
Over the past decade, India has successfully auctioned a total of 152 coal blocks in seven tranches, with 91 allocated for captive purposes and the remaining 61 for commercial use.
