Dikhyaa Mohanty 
On November 3, 2022, the Ministry of Coal began the sixth round of its auctions for commercial coal mining, as well as a second effort at the fifth round. According to a news statement from the Ministry of Coal, forward auctions for these mines began on February 27, 2023, and on the eighth day of the electronic auction, two coal mines—CMSP and MMDR—were placed up for sale.
With its operationalization, these coal mines would provide an annual revenue of Rs. 2,873 crores (excluding the partially explored Sakhigopal B Kankili coal mine), as determined by the coal mine’s PRC. These mines would bring in a total of Rs. 2,250 crores in capital investment and employ 20,280 people. The total geological reserves for the coal mines are about 1,652 million tons, with 1 coal mine being fully explored and 1 coal mine being partially explored.
