Odisha government to auction seven mines

The Dollar Business Bureau

The government of Odisha is in the process of auctioning 7 mines by August, revealed the Steel and Mines Minister of Odisha Prafulla Mallick. These seven mines include manganese, bauxite, and iron ore in the district of Koraput. 

The Minister said that the government is in the process of auctioning seven more by July- August this year. He also added that among these mines a bauxite mine would also be auctioned in Koraput district.

This announcement of auctioning bauxite mines has raised the hopes of Vedanta, which has been struggling to acquire raw materials for its refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district. Vedanta is also likely to take part in the bidding process.

Due to lack of bauxite, Vedanta’s refinery and smelter plants have been running at less than 50 percent capacity even though the plant is located close to many mines.

Mallick will participate in the all India mining ministers meeting on May 27 to be held at Jaipur. Discussions could revolve around the process of granting forest and environmental clearances to mines in the State. This could be vital to the conglomerates eyeing the bauxite mines on the hills of Niyamgiri.

During the meeting, the ministers will also discuss the setting up of District Mineral Foundation (DMF), the auction process, curbing illegal mining, minor mineral rules and enhanced penal provisions.

The status of the collection of funds for the DMF and its utilization will also be discussed during the meetings.