Baseless allegations on coal Bill put to rest: Piyush Goyal

Next phase of auction to resume by April, commercial mining to follow soon

Exuberant at the Rajya Sabha clearing the coal Bill, Piyush Goyal, minister of state for coal, power and renewable energy, said the government had delivered on its commitment to eliminate corruption in the sector.

"We have ensured there is a legal process for the allocation of natural resources in the country. Henceforth, we have decided on a transparent process of allocation of these resources; we are ruling out any arbitrary process, one through fear or favour," he said.

The minister said eastern states, as all mineral-bearing states, would now earn high revenues through the auction of coal mines.

"We have given a three-in-one gift to the people of India - reduction in power rates through reverse bidding, revenue generation and development of the local populace," Goyal told reporters.

He said the government had set up a 'mineral development foundation', which would use funds generated from the auction for the development of tribals and local areas.

"We are delighted that every state has supported the Bill. The only political parties that have opposed it are the ones that have been rejected by the people of this country," he said. The Congress had killed the India growth story, he said, adding, "These are the same people who will oppose the land Bill, too."

The minister said the next step for the government was to open the sector and make coal available to all, from households to micro, small and medium enterprises.

Coal Secretary Anil Swarup said, "By April-end, we will start another phase of auction, of 15-20 coal mines, for stipulated end use. After we meet the immediate need of end-use in power, steel and cement sectors, we will move forward with commercial mining."

Last week, Business Standard had reported commercial mining would be kicked off in a month, with mines given to states for extraction and sale of coal.