Odisha to resume auctions of mineral blocks after one-year delay

After a one-year delay, the Odisha government is preparing to auction eight mineral blocks - a mix of six virgin blocks and two merchant mines that will see their leases lapsing by March 31, 2020. The auctions are scheduled for the first week of August 2019.
 

In the last fiscal year, the state government was unable to auction even a single new mineral block due to pending litigation over the eligibility norms for the participation of a bidder with more than 10 square km in its leasehold. Although the state steel & mines department had started the process to auction