Out of 99 coal mines that were put on the block in the fourth round of auctions, just eight blocks have been auctioned successfully, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Development of new mines is necessary to reduce the dependence on imports. Coal demand of 1500 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) is projected by the year 2030, the Union minister of parliamentary affairs, coal and mines, Pralhad Joshi, said in a reply to the Lok Sabha.

“The fourth round of commercial auctions was launched on December 16, 2021 and 99 coal mines were offered. “Out of 99, only eight mines have been successfully auctioned,” he said.

The 99 mines were in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Bengal.

Joshi further said that resettlement and rehabilitation of project-affected families will be done according to the prevailing norms of the state governments.