Kolkata: The auctions and allotments of 67 coal blocks so far has unlocked a total value of nearly Rs 4,00,000 crore, said a senior coal ministry official. “Out of 67 blocks auctioned or allotted, a total benefit of Rs 3,35,000 crore is for states and another Rs 69,000 crore will be unlocked by way of tariff benefit to the consumers,” coal secretary Anil Swarup said here on Sunday at Coal Consu-mers’ Association of India interactive session.
Till now, 29 blocks have been auctioned and another 38 allotted to the state-owned entities. The passing of the Coal Mines Special Provisions Bill, 2015 in Parliament allows the government to continue auctioning coal blocks to private companies. Sixteen blocks will be put under hammer by third week of April, of which 11 will be for the power sector and the rest for the non-regulated sector. The official has preferred the segmentation of user industries for coal auction.
