The Ministry of Coal's Nominated Authority opened bids for the 12th round of commercial coal block auctions, excluding six underground blocks, on Monday. A total of 41 bids were received for 11 out of the 22 coal blocks on offer.
The online bids were decrypted and opened electronically in the presence of participating companies, followed by the opening of sealed offline documents. The process was conducted in full view of the bidders.
In the 12th round, 38 bids were received for eight blocks. Separately, three blocks under the second attempt of the 11th round received one bid each.
Among the blocks, Phutamura received the highest number of bids at 13. It is a non-coking coal block located within the Mand-Raigarh coalfield in Raigarh district, Chhattisgarh, and was offered under the 12th round.
Other blocks that received bids in the 12th round include Chitarpur (Revised), Cholapathar, Mahuagarhi, Mandakini B, Patal East (Western Part), Tambia South, and West of Tubed.
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Under the 11th round’s second attempt, bids were received for Jawardaha South, Margo East, and Margo West.
A total of 27 companies submitted bids in this round, with over 10 firms participating for the first time. Some of the companies include Adas Mining and Infra Pvt Ltd, Alom Solar Pvt Ltd, Amalgam Steel and Power Ltd, Damodar Valley Corporation, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, NLC India Limited, Oriental Quarries and Mines Pvt Ltd, Penna Shipping Limited, and Jharkhand Exploration and Mining Corporation Limited. The number of bids submitted per company ranged from one to four.
"The coal sector will continue to fuel the economy to become the third-largest economy in the world," the Ministry of Coal said in a press release.
The government said that the bids will be evaluated by a multi-disciplinary technical evaluation committee and technically qualified bidders will be shortlisted for participation in the electronic auction, which will be conducted on the official auction platform, the MSTC portal.
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A distributors’ body has sent a letter to all fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, asking for proper bilateral agreements to include the collection of damaged and expired goods. In another letter to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), it alleged that damaged stock is being sold through quick commerce (qcom) platforms.
It has urged FMCG companies in an open letter to collect damaged or non-saleable goods from the market and ensure timely compensation or stock replacement through a transparent process.
Currently, contracts between companies and distributors do not include clauses for compensation related to damaged stock.
In its letter to MoHFW, the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) said damaged and expired goods are being circulated, especially through dark stores operated by qcom platforms.
The letter cited an incident in which health inspectors discovered damaged food packs stored in a Mumbai dark store operated by a leading qcom platform. “The facility lacked proper ventilation, pest control, and sanitation — directly endangering the health of consumers,” the letter observed.
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It further mentioned another instance where expired personal care and dairy products were found in a dark store in Bengaluru.
The AICPDF also wrote that almost all FMCG companies do not include clauses in their agreements holding them responsible for the collection and disposal of expired or damaged goods.
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It urged the government to bring qcom dark stores under regular inspections and compliance audits by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, with penalties for unhygienic or unlicensed storage.
The distributors’ body has also requested a meeting to present further evidence and called for a policy framework.
In March, it filed a petition with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against leading quick commerce platforms — Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart — alleging unfair pricing and market monopolisation.
In April, CCI sent a letter to AICPDF seeking additional information on the complaint.
CCI also asked the distributors’ body for details on the relevant market share of each qcom player in the FMCG industry and sought clarity on whether FMCG companies have any exclusive distribution agreements.
It further asked the complainant for evidence of discriminatory pricing based on consumer location, device type, or purchasing behaviour, and for any proof of products being sold below cost price.
Distributors’ demand cart
In a letter to the government, distributors have urged that quick commerce dark stores be regularly inspected Distributors have called for a policy framework to regulate dark stores In March, distributors’ body AICPDF had filed a petition with CCI against leading quick-commerce platforms
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