New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) The government on Thursday approved providing one-time window to state and central public sector units to surrender coal mines that could not be made operational due to technical reasons.

The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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No penalty will be imposed on the state and central PSUs who would surrender such non-operational coal blocks, sources in the know of the development said.

"There were certain coal blocks which were allotted to the state and central PSUs between 2015 and 2019. These mines could not be brought into operation, and the PSUs were unable to return them to the government due to the penalty clause. So, one-time window has been given to them to surrender the mines and they would not be charged," the sources said.

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Out of the total 45 such coal mines, 13-15 blocks are likely to be surrendered, which will be put up for sale in the next round of auction, the sources added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)