Centre heeds Odisha's plea, hikes mine lease area cap to 58 sq km

The road to swift conduct of auctions of iron ore and associated minerals in Odisha hobbled by more than a year of face-off between the Centre and the state over mining lease area limits has smoothened.

The Union mines ministry after due scrutiny has heeded the state government's call to hike the ceiling on lease area for iron ore and associated minerals to 58 square kilometres (sq km).

The revision in mineral lease cap clears the impasse to the seamless hosting of iron ore auctions by Odisha. The state is the largest producer of the steel making ingredient, producing 114 million tonnes