Government on Friday launched bidding for ninth round of oil and gas exploration to meet the growing energy demand in the country. 34 blocks are being offered in this round. The ninth round under the new exploration and licensing policy covers an area of about 89 thousand square kilometers.Launching the bidding which will conclude on 18th of March, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora asserted that his ministry is committed to complete evaluation, award and signing of production sharing contracts with the companies in a definite time frame.He said a transparent process is in place for bidding that enables bidders to know their positions of winning the contract soon after the time stipulated for its closure. He added that during the 11th Plan period 80 percent area under exploration coverage has been targeted to explore oil and natural gas reserves.Speaking on the sidelines, the Oil India Chief N.M. Borah said that the company may also bid for some blocks after proper evaluation. He added that the revision of the petrol prices will be considered in the due course.AIR correspondent reports till the 8th round of bidding, 87 oil and gas discoveries have been made in 26 exploration blocks. Foreign Direct Investment, FDI of 14 billion US dollars has been made in this crucial sector.The ninth round has been launched after taking into account views of various stake holders including oil exploration companies, industry bodies and association of oil and natural gas operators for better marketing. An international agency has also been hired to make this round of bidding a great success.