The auction process for six to eight mining blocs will take place by December 15, 2021. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced this at a post Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday. The exploration of the mining blocs has been done by Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) a Govt of India undertaking. The auction will be done through State Bank of India, Sawant told media. The entire auction process will be completed before December 15, he stated.
Sawant stated that the Govt servants House-building Loan will be streamlined and reintroduced within four to five days. The loans will now be given by the Economic Development Corporation which will work out much cheaper for the govt. There are 1400 existing borrowers and there are 45 new applications from govt servants. The loans will be continued at 2 percent interest rate. Earlier, the bank used to charge the govt an interest rate of 6.5%, where govt would bear 5% interest and extend the loan to govt servants at 2% interest rate.
In other Cabinet decisions, it has been decided not to give permission to hold the EDM festival Sunburn in Goa this year. We are not holding Sunburn this year, Sawant stated.
The Cabinet also decided to bring the NRI Commission under the Home Department by changing the business rules. The status of the Commission will be same, but by putting the NRI Commission under the Home Department, work will be done faster, Sawant said.
