Bhubaneswar, Jun 29 (PTI) Odisha Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick on Saturday said the state is set to auction 5-10 mines in July.

The state has 36 mineral blocks.

"In 2020, around 24 mines will be closed but we have already chalked out plans to auction those mines so that our mineral production is not hampered," the minister said.

Mallick also claimed that the state is experiencing a "huge revenue loss", as the Centre is yet to consider its demand for revision of coal royalty.

"We have requested the coal ministry several times to revise the royalty... We hope the Centre will take a decision in this regard soon," Mallick said.

(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)