India's oil ministry said it received 74 bids for 33 out of the 34 blocks offered under the ninth round of New Exploration and Licensing Policy auctions which closed March 28. A total of 37 companies, eight foreign and 29 domestic, bid for 33 blocks either on their own or as consortia. "[The] response to NELP IX bidding round has been more than satisfactory," said oil minister S. Jaipal Reddy. "The government's desire to enhance the number of players in the E&P sector has been achieved as is evident from the fact that 10 new companies [two foreign and eight Indian] have given bids either on their own or in consortium," the statement said.
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