Non-coal mining leases: Pace of auction slows in 2020-21

The plans to allocate a large number of non-coal mining leases seem to have come a cropper in the current fiscal year. Compared with 43 blocks successfully auctioned in 2019-20, only six leases could be auctioned out so far in the current fiscal, data from the ministry of mines showed.

Since the time mining allocation was made mandatory through the auction route in 2015, a total of 103 iron ore, bauxite, limestone and gold mines among others have been allocated till now.

In the very first year in 2015-16, a total of six mines were allocated, 15 such leases were allocated in 2016-17. The number came down a notch to 14 in 2017-18; but then went up to 19 in 2018-19. The highest was, however, in 2019-20 at 43.