A government memorandum has notified that a panel to determine technical eligibility of bidders for coal mines in the upcoming auction will soon be constituted. The six-member panel will be headed by State Vigilance Commissioner, West Bengal, K S Ramasubban. It will have members from Central Electricity Authority, Power Ministry and National Institute of Secondary Steel Technology, Steel Ministry, among others. Five members include Punjab National Bank chairman and managing director SS Kohli. The committee also comprises Major Singh, member planning in the Central Electricity Authority, and RK Bagchi, director in the steel ministry. Other members are Mohan Chuttani, economic advisor in the department of industrial policy and promotion and RK Chopra, director in Coal India's technical arm Center Mine Planning and Design Institute.
As many as 200 companies have registered themselves for the coal block bidding process and the panel will help joint secretary in the coal ministry Vivek Bhardwaj, who is the nominated authority for coal block auction, in evaluating technical qualification of bidders for the auction.
The government has decided to auction 46 coal blocks to private companies in auctions scheduled between February 14-22. Under the schedule II (producing mines) category, 23 blocks will be put on offer, the bids will be evaluated and the selected qualified bidders will participate in the e-auction for the 23 operational mines beginning February 14, while another set of 23 mines will be auctioned between February 25 and March 5 under the Schedule III (ready to produce mines) category. The Coal Ministry has already started the process for allocation of 36 mines to PSUs, of which 35 will go to power PSUs, while the remaining one has been earmarked for a steel PSU.
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