Amendment to Mines Act in winter session?

The government will table the proposed amendment to the Mines and Minerals
(Regulation and Development) Act, 1957 in the winter session of Parliament.

Sriprakash Jaiswal, minister of coal, statistics and programme implementation, said the proposed amendment is aimed at allowing private sector companies to participate in the auction of coal blocks.

The government is learnt to have identified as many as 216 coal blocks across the country for auction.

Of these, Coal India is learnt to have decided to retain 138 blocks and accordingly made a request to the ministry.