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State-owned Coal India Limited is absorbing rising input costs to protect consumers from higher coal prices, even as expenses for key inputs, such as explosives and industrial diesel, have surged sharply following the West Asia conflict. The company said it has chosen not to pass on the increase, warning that doing so could trigger a cascading impact across sectors reliant on coal. It is also compensating contractors operating in its mines for higher diesel costs. Prices of ammonium nitrate - a key component accounting for about 60 per cent of explosives used in opencast mining - have risen 44 per cent to Rs 72,750 per tonne as of April 1 from pre-war levels. This has pushed up the average cost of explosives by around 26 per cent to nearly Rs 49,800 per tonne by end-March. Coal India's subsidiaries consume about 0.9 million tonnes of explosives annually. This entire cost is being absorbed by Coal India, the company said. Diesel prices have also surged, rising roughly 54 per cent t
The government on Thursday asserted that India's domestic coal production is steadily matching consumer demands, with state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) implementing robust measures to secure uninterrupted dry fuel for all sectors, amid escalating tensions in West Asia. As a proactive step, CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output, has planned 29 e-auctions in the current month, offering about 23.56 million tonnes (MT) of coal. "Out of these 29 auctions, 5 auctions have already been conducted since March 12, 2026, wherein 73.1 lakh tonnes of coal were offered, and 31.96 lakh tonnes of coal have been booked, indicating adequacy of coal offered in the e-auctions," the coal ministry said in a statement. In addition to this, CIL has also taken necessary action to ensure coal availability to the small, medium and other consumers through the State Nominated Agencies (SNAs) route and requested the State governments to provide the additional coal requirement, which can
Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL), an arm of state-owned Coal India, on Wednesday said it has mobilised Rs 470 crore from anchor investors, ahead of its initial share-sale opening for public subscription. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Nippon India Mutual Fund (MF), Edelweiss MF, ICICI Prudential MF, Baring Private Equity India Fund, General Insurance Corporation of India and Edelweiss Life Insurance Corporation are among the anchor investors, according to a circular uploaded on BSE's website. Also, Societe Generale, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas Financial Markets participated in the anchor round. As per the circular, the state-owned firm allotted 2.73 crore equity shares to 22 funds at Rs 172 per piece, aggregating the transaction size to Rs 469.74 crore. Of these funds, LIC has been allocated shares to the tune of Rs 105 crore. CMPDIL's Rs 1,842-crore initial public offering (IPO) will open for subscription on March 20 and conclude on March 24. T