A call for segregation of bidders for Transparency in Mine Auctions

26 Mar 2024 CW Team

Stakeholders advocate for segregating committed bidders from others in mine auctions to address regulatory concerns. Gouranga Sen, Group Head of Economic & Policy Analysis at Vedanta Limited, stressed the importance of distinguishing serious participants from non-serious ones during a panel discussion at Economic Times Infra's Global Metals and Mining event in New Delhi.

Sen proposed shifting from progressive to single-stage bidding for mine auctions to differentiate serious and non-serious bidders.

According to Suresh Chandra Suman, director of mines at NLC India Limited, the policy shift towards auctioning mines has significantly enhanced transparency, benefiting states where mines are auctioned. The amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act of 2015 mandated auctioning mineral concessions to ensure fairness in resource allocation.

Suman highlighted the auction process's positive outcomes, particularly in states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Addressing the debate on reverting to administrative allotment of mines, as was the practice before the regulatory reforms, Navneet Kumar, Head of Business Development & Operations at Skill Council for Mining Sector, advocated for continuing the auction process. He stressed the need for India, as a growing economy, to generate revenue through mine auctions.

Panel members underscored coal's continued significance as the most cost-effective energy source and prioritized sustainable extraction practices. V.K. Shukla, General Manager at Central Coalfields Ltd, projected India's annual coal production to reach 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030.

Infrastructure Transport

01 Jun 2026

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..