India's coal production grows 8.5% to 777.23 million tonnes in FY22

Coal minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday said the country's coal production grew 8.5 per cent to a record 777.23 million tonnes (MT) in FY22.

The statement assumes significance amid reports of coal shortages due to rising demand for electricity with the onset of summer season.

In the previous fiscal, India's coal sector achieved a record production of 777.23 MT as compared to 716 MT in FY21, registering a growth of 8.5 per cent, Joshi said in a statement.

The country's coal despatch also increased by 18.43 per cent to 818.04 MT during the last fiscal as against 690.71 MT in 2020-21.

Addressing a meeting of the Standing Committee on Safety in Coal Mines, Joshi reiterated that safety of coal miners is a 'top priority'.

He also advised all coal companies to ensure that there is no dearth of fund for ensuring safety measures.

In October last year, many states complained about shortage of coal for power plants and some of them also faced electricity outages for several hours a day.