Three Coal Blocks Auctioned Under 13th Commercial Mining Round

28 Nov 2025 CW Team

The Ministry of Coal has successfully auctioned three coal blocks in the 13th round of commercial coal mine auctions. Launched on 21 August 2025, the forward auctions were held between 20 and 25 November 2025, resulting in the allocation of three fully explored blocks with a combined Peak Rated Capacity (PRC) of 49 MTPA and geological reserves of about 3,306.58 million tonnes.

All three blocks—Pirpainti Barahat and Dhulia North in Jharkhand, and Mandakini-B in Odisha—were secured by Damodar Valley Corporation. The Pirpainti Barahat and Dhulia North blocks each received final offers of 5.50 per cent over a reserve price of 4 per cent, while Mandakini-B received a final offer of 12.75 per cent against a reserve price of 6 per cent. All three are non-coking coal blocks. No bids were received for the Takua block at the final offer stage.

The auctioned blocks are expected to generate annual revenue of around Rs 46,206.9 million, draw capital investment of nearly Rs 73.5 billion and create an estimated 66,248 employment opportunities.

Since the launch of commercial coal mining in 2020, 136 coal blocks have been successfully auctioned, representing a production capacity of 325.04 MTPA. Once operational, these mines will significantly enhance domestic production and advance India’s goal of achieving self-reliance in the coal sector. Collectively, these blocks are projected to yield annual revenue of Rs 433.3 billion, mobilise capital investment of Rs 487.56 billion and generate over 0.439 million employment opportunities across coal-bearing regions.

These achievements reflect the Ministry of Coal’s commitment to transforming the sector into a major driver of economic growth, supporting rising energy demand, boosting regional development and strengthening the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Infrastructure Transport

12 Jan 2026

Dhalbhumgarh Airport Faces 150-km Rule Hurdle

The issue has resurfaced following a recent statement by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who said that under existing aviation policy, a new greenfield airport is generally not permitted within an aerial distance of 150 kilometres of an operational civilian airport. He added, however, that if a formal proposal is submitted, its impact on the existing airport can be examined and relaxations may be considered on a case-by-case basis. While the clarification has revived some hope for Dhalbhumgarh, it has also underlined the scale of the technical challenge facing the project. Unde..

Stakeholders Seek Parallel Ops For Vizag Airports

With road and metro rail links to Bhogapuram still several years away, stakeholders in north Andhra Pradesh have renewed demands to continue civil operations at INS Dega even after the commissioning of Bhogapuram International Airport. The new airport is expected to begin commercial operations from June. Officials said close to 80 per cent of the airport infrastructure at Bhogapuram, including the terminal building and internal approach roads, has already been completed. However, inadequate external connectivity remains a key concern. Making a case for parallel operations, Andhra Pradesh Air ..

Govt To Roll Out V2V Tech To Cut Road Crashes

In an effort to curb road accidents, particularly in low-visibility conditions such as dense fog, the government is set to roll out vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology that will allow cars to exchange real-time data and alert drivers to potential dangers. The announcement was made by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari after the 43rd meeting of the Transport Development Council. The technology involves installing an on-board unit (OBU) in vehicles, enabling wireless data exchange between nearby cars. This will allow vehicles to share information such as spee..