Jaipur, May 8 -- Rajasthan has auctioned nine limestone blocks spread across Nagaur, Jaisalmer and Chittorgarh, a move expected to generate more than Rs.24,000 crore in revenue for the state government over the next 50 years, officials said on Thursday. The announcement was made during a review meeting of the mines and petroleum department chaired by additional chief secretary Aparna Arora at the state secretariat. Arora said the nine limestone blocks, auctioned in April, cover an area of 1,218.43 hectares in Nagaur, Jaisalmer and Chittorgarh districts. The blocks are estimated to contain around 920 million tonnes of limestone. Officials said the state is expected to receive nearly Rs.60 crore as the first instalment of upfront payment from the auction process, while revenue from the three upfront instalments is projected at around Rs.300 crore. Once operations begin, the state is likely to earn over Rs.24,000 crore in revenue over next 50 years, officials said.htc...