India-focused miner Vedanta Resources has reported a 16 percent increase in pre-tax profits during the first six months of the year.

The India-based natural resources group said that its profits increased to US$ 1.06 billion during the first six months till September compared to US$ 916 million in the same quarter of the previous year. The total sales of the company increased 14 per cent to US$ 7.45 billion mainly due to increased at Cairn India's Rajasthan blocks.

The increased production in Rajasthan helped offset ban on some iron ore extraction in India. The company is in between an ongoing restructuring effort aimed at simplifying the group before 2013. The company has already obtained shareholder and other regulatory clearance and is now waiting for clearance from the high court.

The net debt of the company was recorded at the level of US$ 9.8 billion as on September 2012. The company has declared an interim dividend of US$ 0.21, up from USD 0.2 a year earlier.

Shares of the company fell 1 per cent to 11.35 in morning trading in London on Wednesday. The shares have fallen 9 per cent during the previous one year.