India secured a potentially lucrative foothold in Afghanistan as a group of seven companies won rights to develop a large share of the country's largest iron-ore deposit, writes New York Times.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines awarded the concession for four of five blocks in the Hajigak deposit to a consortium of Indian firms led by the state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd. Canada's Kilo Goldmines Ltd. won the fifth block.
In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed an agreement to develop two births at Port of Chabahar, build new Chabahar-Zahedan railway as part of North–South Transport Corridor by linking it with Trans-Iranian Railway, invest up to INR 1 lakh crore (US$14 billion) in the Chabahar Special Economic zone by building gas and urea plant as well as other industries, this will also be linked with Chabahar-Zaranj-Delaram-Hajigak railway: 900 km long Indian-Iranian project, would link future US$10 billion Indian iron-ore mining operations at Hajigak, in Afghanistan to Chabahar, Iran.
