The Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament attached to the Ministry of Coal met on August 5 to discuss commercial coal mining reforms and ways to increase private sector participation in India’s coal sector.
The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy. It was attended by Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, senior officials of the Ministry, representatives of coal public sector undertakings and members of the committee.
In his opening remarks, Reddy said commercial coal mining was among the major reforms introduced over the past 12 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said 14 rounds of commercial coal mine auctions had been completed and the 15th round was currently under process.
Reddy said commercial coal mining had made the sector more competitive and efficient. He added that the transparent auction process had helped transform India’s coal sector by promoting competition and investment. The minister said the Ministry of Coal was engaging with industry bodies and private companies through roadshows and stakeholder consultations to raise awareness and encourage wider participation.
Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt said captive and commercial mines had played an important role in helping India achieve one billion tonnes of coal production in each of the last two financial years. He said these mines contributed around 20 percent of the country’s coal production in the previous financial year.
Dutt also said continued reforms in the coal sector had reduced the operationalisation timeline for fully explored coal blocks from 51 months to 40 months, and for partially explored blocks from 66 months to 52 months.
Additional Secretary Rupinder Brar gave a presentation on commercial coal mining reforms and leveraging private sector participation.
Members of the committee appreciated the Ministry’s efforts to reform the coal sector and offered suggestions on further improving private sector participation while balancing commercial mining growth with environmental and community concerns.
