Joshi wants 100 million tonne of UG coal by 2030
The Ministry of Coal has launched the eighth round of 39 commercial coal mines auction process on 15 Nov 2023 in an all efforts to stop imports.
Minister for Coal Pralhad Joshi said that coal production from underground mines (UG) will be further scaled up to touch 100 million tonne (MT) by 2030 by deploying mass production technology.
The mines being auctioned are spread across coal bearing States of Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Bihar. These mines come under CMSP Act and MMDR Act.
Out of 39 coal mines, four mines are being offered under 2nd attempt of 7th round under CMSP/MMDR Act, where single bid were received in the first attempt. Of the 35 coal mines being offered under 8th round, 16 coal mines are new ones and 19 mines are being rolled over from earlier tranches.
The Ministry has taken a series of reforms to ensure that the coal sector grows at a rapid pace and is able to meet the growing energy demand of country.
The 8th round mines under protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, critical habitats, having forest cover greater than 40%, heavily built-up area among others have been excluded.
The block boundaries of some of the coal mines where there was presence of dense habitation, high green cover or critical infrastructure etc. have been modified for early development of coal mine.
Coal Ministry Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said that captive and commercial coal mines are contributing significantly to overall production.
He said that systematic surveys have been carried out before offering 39 mines for auction. For speedy evacuation of coal from mines, rail connectivity is being augmented and further added, Meena said. fiinews.com
