Coal Ministry receives 26 bids for auction of 11 Coal Mines

Coal Ministry has received 26 bids for auction of eleven Coal Mines for Sale of Coal. Two or more bids have been received for five coal mines. The process of 4th tranche of auction of coal mines for sale of coal was launched by the Nominated Authority, Ministry of Coal on 16th December last year.The last date of submission of Technical Bid was 28th of February. As part of the auction process, Technical Bids comprising of online and offline bid documents were opened in New Delhi on Wednesday in the presence of the bidders. The online bids were decrypted and opened electronically in the presence of the bidders. Subsequently, sealed envelopes containing offline bid documents were also opened in the presence of bidders. Entire process was displayed on the screen for the bidders. The bids will be evaluated by a multi-disciplinary Technical Evaluation Committee and Technically Qualified Bidders would be shortlisted for participation in the electronic auction to be conducted on MSTC portal from 24th of March.

-The polling for the second phase election in Manipur will be held on Saturday. The Silence Period will be commenced from Thursday evening and all the political parties have intensified the election campaign in all ten districts. More than eight lakh thirty eight voters will decide the fate of 92 candidates who are in fray in twenty two assembly constituencies. The Election officials have taken up all necessary arrangements to conduct second phase polls in Manipur on March 5. There are eleven assembly constituencies in seven hill districts of Manipur in the phase. Some of these districts are border districts of the State and tight security arrangements have been made to restrict entering unwanted persons from the outside. More than three hundred companies of para military forces have been deployed in the second phase. The election campaigning is also going on at the nook and corners of ten districts. More than thirty eight thousand six hundred first time voters will exercise their voting rights in the second phase polls. 

-The Budget Session of Gujarat Legislative Assembly began on Wednesday. Governor Acharya Devvrat addressed the assembly on the first day of the session.  The Governor had to cut short his customary address after opposition Congress MLAs caused disruption in the house by raising anti-BJP slogans over various issues. The Governor’s speech was then tabled in the house. The opposition also sought the resignation of Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, over the issue of law and order situation and seizure of drugs from Mundra port and different parts of the state in the recent past. Congress MLA also raised the issue of deaths caused due to coronavirus in the state and sought a fair compensation to the kin of the deceased. The month-long session will conclude on 31st March. Finance minister Kanubhai Desai will present the budget for fiscal 2022-23 on Thursday.

-The Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education Anbil Poyyamozhi on Wednesday released the timetable for the Board Examination and also for the annual examinations for schools. The practical exams for the 12th,11th and tenth standard will begin from April 25th. Written exams will be held for them from 5th, 9th, and 6th May. Results will be declared for 10th standard on 17th June and for the 12th standard on 23rd June. Annual examinations for the other standards will be held from 5th to 13th May. Results will be declared on 30th May.

-A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday upheld a single bench order that dismissed a petition against the ban imposed on Media One TV channel by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recently. The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly dismissed the appeals filed by the channel owners, channel employees, and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists against the single bench order. The I&B Ministry had refused to renew the broadcast license granted to Media One after the Ministry of Home Affairs rejected security clearance for its renewal. The Division Bench observed that upon perusing the confidential files submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it was convinced that there was a threat to national security. The Single Bench also had said in its order that it found intelligence reports that justified the denial of security clearance for the channel.