India, Sept. 18 -- The Ministry of Coal on Thursday launched the 16th round of commercial coal mine auctions, offering 25 coal blocks across nine coal-bearing states. The auction includes 21 fully explored and four partially explored mines in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal. Six mines are being offered under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act (CMSP), while 19 are under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR).

The ministry also handed over Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements (CMDPAs) to successful bidders for six mines auctioned in earlier rounds. These include Tara (revised), Margo West, Margo East, Mandla South, Dong...