Page 3 - Coal Ministry

India's coal production increases 3.63% to 81.57 MT in April

Both coal production and dispatch witnessed steady growth in April 2025, compared to the same period last year, the coal ministry has said

Strong raw material strategy vital for growth, says Coal Minister Reddy

A robust raw material strategy is key to sustaining growth and the country must secure consistent availability of critical materials such as coking coal and iron ore, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Saturday. Addressing the concluding day of the 6th edition of the India Steel 2025 Exhibition and Conference, hosted jointly by the Ministry of Steel and Ficci here, the Union coal minister also said that steel is the backbone of India's economic growth and key driver of the country's collective vision of Viksit Bharat. The three-day event saw the participation of over 1,000 delegates, over 200 exhibitors and featured nine sessions which included over 150 speakers from India and other countries, including the inaugural session, according to a release. During this period, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were also signed highlighting the growing opportunities and collaborations within the steel sector, it said. "If steel is the backbone of India's economy, then coal and mine

Comfortable coal stocks even after monsoon, says Union coal secretary

Govt expecting 37 mt of coal stocks by Oct-end, 7 mt more than the previous year

Coal ministry offers 25 commercial mines in 12th round of auction

After the launch, a senior official of the ministry informed that a pre-bid meeting for the 12th round will take place on April 11 and the auction is scheduled for June 9

Harish Duhan takes over as SECL's CMD, aims for growth & innovation

Coal India arm South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) on Thursday said that Harish Duhan has taken charge as its Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD). With his industry knowledge and strategic vision, Duhan is expected to steer SECL towards greater achievements in coal production, technological advancements, and sustainable development initiatives. Prior to his appointment as CMD of SECL, Duhan served as Director Technical (Operations) at Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL), another arm of Coal India. The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had recommended his name for the top post at SECL on December 7, last year, the company said in a statement. Duhan brings with him the experience of over 34 years in the mining sector. His expertise includes implementing first mile connectivity projects, driving digitisation initiatives, and overseeing the development of solar projects in Coal India Ltd. An alumnus of Nagpur University, Duhan holds a Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering. He join

Centre wants states to take responsibility, check illegal coal mining

The Centre on Wednesday said it is the responsibility of state governments to stop all kinds of illegal coal mining, including rat-hole, underlining that it is working in close coordination with states to lower the number of accidents in coal fields. Asked about the recent accident and loss of lives at a coal mine in Assam where allegedly rat-hole mining was being carried out, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy said in Lok Sabha that he has spoken to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the matter. "It is the responsibility of the state government to check rat-hole mining," he said. Reddy said the Assam chief minister has conveyed to him that around 250 rat-hole mining sites have been closed down in the state and 12 people were arrested in this connection. Replying to another supplementary question on alleged illegal mining in Jharkhand, he said the state police and government have to act against it as it is their responsibility. Reddy said the central government has a zero ...

Centre plans to auction 30 underground coal mines in the next round

This comes as the coal ministry aims to increase underground coal mining to 100 million tonnes (mt) annually by 2030 against the current production of 34.3 mt

Additional incentives lined up for underground coal mine auctions

Coal secretary Vikram Dev Dutt said an incentivisation framework was at an advanced stage of discussion

Jindal Steel and Power, 2 other companies win coal gasification incentive

The ministry announced the selected applicants under Category-II of the Financial Incentive Scheme

Coal minister calls budget 'empowering for farmers, women, entrepreneurs'

The Union Budget for 2025-26 is a visionary budget that empowers farmers, the middle class, women, and entrepreneurs, while laying a strong foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat,' said Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday. The budget introduced major economic reforms that will enhance 'Ease of Doing Business', expand access to finance for MSMEs, startups, and entrepreneurs, and foster a strong investment environment, he said in a post on social media platform X. Further, the budget strengthens Centre-State cooperation to drive inclusive growth and it reinforces the NDA government's commitment towards 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) by achieving Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), sustained growth, and through global competitiveness, he said. "I congratulate & thank Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji and Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman for presenting a visionary budget that empowers Annadatas, the middle class, women, and entrepreneurs," Kishan Reddy said.

Jharkhand CM urges Centre to clear state's Rs 1.36 trillion coal dues

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren urged Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy to clear the state's coal dues "worth Rs 1.36 lakh crore". Reddy assured Soren that the central government would take necessary steps to ensure payment of the outstanding dues, an official release said. A meeting was held among senior officials of the state government, the coal ministry and Coal India Ltd in the presence of Soren and Reddy on Thursday. The Jharkhand government presented a detailed assessment of the outstanding mineral royalty payments to the Union minister in the meeting, the release said. "...The Union coal minister directed that central government officials collaborate with the state government to verify the authenticity of these claims," it stated. Soren said the central and state governments need to move forward together to better manage coal mining, production, transportation, land acquisition and compensation. The CM also said the lands on which mining operations ha

Govt plans to auction offshore mineral blocks in 2-3 months: G Kishan Reddy

The government is planning to begin the auction of offshore mineral blocks in the next two to three months and around 10 such mines are likely to be auctioned in the first phase, coal and mines minister G Kishan Reddy said on Thursday. The government amended the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002, to provide an auction route for awarding production leases for offshore minerals. Offshore minerals are located deep within the earth's crust and are difficult to extract compared to onshore minerals. Speaking to media after the inauguration of mines ministry pavilion at India International Trade Fair, Reddy said the government plans "to auction offshore minerals blocks in two to three months". India's offshore mineral reserves include gold, diamond, copper, nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements. The offshore auctions will help increase the availability of these minerals in India and reduce dependence on imports. The minister further said

India's coal import rose 8% to 140.6 MT in H1, demand likely to stay modest

India's coal import rose by 7.8 per cent to 140.60 million tonne (MT) in the April-September period of the ongoing financial year. The country's coal import was 130.34 MT in the year-ago period, according to data compiled by B2B e-commerce company mjunction services ltd. Overall, coal import demand is likely to remain modest due to the healthy stock position and high volumes being offered through spot e-auctions in the domestic market, mjunction MD and CEO Vinaya Varma said. Coal import in September dropped by 10.09 per cent to 19.42 MT from 21.60 MT in the corresponding month of previous fiscal. Of the total imports in September, non-coking coal volume was 13.24 MT, against 14.88 MT in the year-ago month. Coking coal import stood at 3.39 MT, against 4.59 MT a year ago. During the April-September period, non-coking coal import was at 91.92 MT, higher than 83.45 MT imported during the same period last year. Coking coal import was at 28.18 MT as against 29.44 MT. "There was a slig

Coal ministry 'optimistic' about achieving production target of over 170 MT

The government on Saturday expressed optimism that it will achieve the production target of more than 170 million tonnes from captive and commercial coal blocks in the ongoing fiscal year. The production from captive, commercial mines from April 1 to November rose 33 per cent to 100.08 MT over 75.05 MT in the year-ago period, the coal ministry said in a statement. The total dispatch from captive, commercial coal mines during the period rose to 107.81 MT from 80.23 MT, it said. "The coal ministry is optimistic about reaching a production target of more than 170 million tonnes from captive and commercial coal blocks in 2024-25," the statement said. "The share of captive and commercial coal mines in India's total coal production has been steadily increasing, reflecting the success of reforms in the coal sector and strengthening the nation's path toward self-sufficiency in energy resources," it added.

Coal Minister urges CIL to boost production and reduce import reliance

State-owned CIL's priorities should be to ramp up production of coal and scale up supplies to reduce imports, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has said. Coal India Ltd (CIL) accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. Speaking at CIL's 50th Foundation Day on Sunday, the minister stressed upon the importance of miners' welfare and the rehabilitation of communities affected by mine closures. "Contractual workers play a significant role in Coal India's output, and I applaud the management's decision to implement Performance Linked Incentives for them, effective FY 2023-24," he was quoted as saying in a coal ministry statement. The launch of commercial coal mining has led to transparency, ease of doing business and investment opportunities, helping open the coal sector. Exuding confidence in CIL, he stated that the company has the competency and commitment to compete in the current open market scenario. While coal will remain a central component of the country's energy landsc

Coal, Power ministries plan winter coordination to prevent power shortages

While summer marks peak power demand across the country, with aggregate demand going beyond 250 GW on some days this year, winter highs also need to be watched

India to have a coal exchange soon, says Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy

Reddy also highlighted the need to decrease coal imports. "We are increasing coal production in view of the rise in imports over the past two months," he said

Senior IAS officer Vikram Dev Dutt assumes charge as new coal secretary

Vikram Dev Dutt on Monday assumed the charge as the coal secretary. Dutt succeeds V L Kantha Rao who currently serves as the mines secretary. Dutt, a 1993-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, earlier served as the Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the coal ministry said in a statement. Prior to Rao, Amrit Lal Meena served as the coal secretary. Meena was repatriated to his home cadre Bihar, where he was appointed as the chief secretary. Meena is a 1989-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved Meena's repatriation to his parent cadre on the request of the Bihar government, said a personnel ministry order dated August 30.

Kishan Reddy flags off Secunderabad-Vasco Da Gama biweekly express

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy flagged off the Secunderabad-Vasco Da Gama inaugural Express at the Secunderabad railway station here on Sunday. Pointing to the long pending demand for an exclusive train to Goa from Hyderabad, he said the express train to Vasco Da Gama is being operated from Secunderabad twice a week, fulfilling people's wishes. The service provides travel options for the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to visit Goa and it also caters to the requirements of those who wish to travel to major cities of Karnataka like Ballari, Hospet, Hubbali and Dharwad, he said. Highlighting railway development works in Telangana, Reddy said the Secunderabad railway station is being redeveloped with world-class standards at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crores and that the works are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The Secunderabad station stands second after the New Delhi railway station in operating the highest number of Vande Bharat Express services,

Coal imports rise marginally by 0.9% to 90.51 MT in Apr-Jul of FY25

There is a "critical need" for coal imports, and the country has reported a marginal rise of 0.9 per cent to 90.51 mt in the April-July period of FY25, according to an official statement. India, which has the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world, is also its second-largest consumer, driven by a rapidly growing economy, Ministry of Coal said on Wednesday. Coal production during the April-July FY25 period increased 9.56 per cent to 321.40 MT from 293.35 MT in FY24. "However, the current consumption landscape reveals a critical need for imports, particularly for coking coal and high-grade thermal coal, which are not sufficiently available within domestic reserves. This shortfall necessitates imports to support key industries, including steel," it said. According to the ministry, coal imports during April-July period of FY25 reported a marginal increase of 0.9 per cent, reaching 90.51 million tonnes (MT) level compared to 89.68 MT in the previous year. While the non-coking coal ..