Mr Dinsha Patel minister of state for mines informed the Lok Sabha that the government of Afghanistan had invited offers for commercial exploitation of Hajigak Iron Ore Deposit through the process of competitive bidding.

The ministry of mines convened a meeting of Indian mining companies, both private and public sector, on January 6th2011 and requested them to participate in the Expression of Interest.

The ministry of steel thereafter held a series of meetings to address the concerns expressed by the companies. The last date for bidding is September 4th 2011. The final decision of participation in the competitive bidding process, is a commercial decision of the individual companies.