Business Standard reported that Chhattisgarh government is mooting to go Odisha way and ask the mining companies to reserve half of its production for the local units.

In Odisha, it was the private iron ore miners who had come under the orbit of recent government order asking to give 50% iron ore to the local units. In Chhattisgarh, it will be the state run National Mineral Development Corporation to come under the scanner.

The state government however started the initiative in this regard as a high level meeting was convened on Monday to discuss the issue. The meeting was chaired by Industry Minister Mr Rajesh Munat and was attended by top bureaucrats of the government’s departments concerned. NMDC’s director technical Mr NK Nanda and director commercial Mr SK Das represented the company.

A top official of the state government told Business Standard “The NMDC officials have been hinted that the Chhattisgarh government intents to follow the practice adopted by the other states and reserve 50% of the iron ore produced from state’s mines for the local industries.”