Coal Ministry Reviews Progress of Auctioned Coal Mines
The Coal Ministry held a meeting to assess the progress of coal mines auctioned across various tranches. The meeting was chaired by Rupinder Brar, Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority of the Ministry of Coal. The review highlighted the government’s dedication to boosting domestic coal production.
Rupinder Brar urged mine allottees to expedite the process of operationalizing coal blocks nearing completion. Currently, 71 coal blocks across nine states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal—are in various stages of securing regulatory approvals.
This review reflects the Ministry’s proactive efforts to overcome challenges in operationalizing these coal blocks to meet the nation’s growing energy demands. By prioritizing these mines, the government aims to enhance domestic coal resources and decrease reliance on imports.
In an effort to increase coal production, Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy launched the 10th tranche of commercial coal mine auctions on June 21 in Hyderabad. The coal mines in this 10th round of allocation are located in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal. Sixteen mines will be offered in Odisha, followed by Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where 15 coal mines will be auctioned.
Previously, Coal India Limited (CIL) awarded 23 coal mines to private sector bidders under a revenue-sharing model, aiming to exploit the latent coal reserves in some of its closed and discontinued underground mines.
Doubts Revealed
Coal Ministry -: The Coal Ministry is a part of the Indian government that looks after the production and management of coal in the country.
Additional Secretary -: An Additional Secretary is a high-ranking official in the government who helps in making important decisions and managing different departments.
Rupinder Brar -: Rupinder Brar is the name of the Additional Secretary who is currently helping to manage the Coal Ministry.
auctioned coal mines -: Auctioned coal mines are coal mines that have been sold to the highest bidder in a public sale so they can start mining coal.
operationalization -: Operationalization means making something ready to start working or functioning, like getting a coal mine ready to start digging out coal.
domestic coal production -: Domestic coal production means producing coal within India, instead of buying it from other countries.
import reliance -: Import reliance means depending on other countries to get something, like coal, instead of making or getting it in your own country.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy -: G Kishan Reddy is a senior government official in India who is responsible for various important tasks, including launching new projects like coal mine auctions.
10th tranche -: The 10th tranche means the 10th set or group of coal mines that are being offered for sale.
Coal India Limited -: Coal India Limited is a big company owned by the Indian government that produces and sells coal.
private bidders -: Private bidders are companies or individuals who are not part of the government and who want to buy coal mines to start mining coal.
latent reserves -: Latent reserves are coal deposits that are present in the ground but have not yet been mined or used.