The government of the western Indian state of Goa will complete the auction of 25 iron ore blocks in the fiscal year 2023-24, state chief minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement on Thursday, March 30.
He said that the government completed the auction of four iron ore blocks in the current year and aims to get mining operations restarted in the state from the “upcoming mining season”, which usually starts in September in the region.
It may be noted that iron ore mining in Goa was stopped in March 2018 after the Supreme Court ruled that lease renewal of 88 mining blocks in the state without an auction process was illegal.
The chief minister said that the bidding process for 21 more blocks will be started soon.
He said that the government is facilitating getting mining operations restarted for the blocks where auctions have been completed and mining leases have been awarded from September onwards, with production to commence within the fiscal year 2023-24.