The Union Coal Ministry on Friday launched the 10th tranche of commercial coal mine auction.
As many as 67 coal mines, including a few that were offered under previous rounds, across Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana will be auctioned. Fully explored and partially explored as well as three coking coal mines figure in the list.
Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy and senior officials of the Coal Ministry told the launch programme organised here that the auction would be conducted online through a transparent two stage process, based on percentage revenue share.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the first round in 2020. In the nine rounds, a total of 107 coal mines had been successfully auctioned and involved an investment of ₹38,400 crore, the Minister said, adding the initiative is aimed at reducing the dependency on coal imports. The revenue generated from the auctioned coal blocks goes to the respective State government, he said.
Mr. Reddy emphasised the critical role of coal as the lifeline for all industries and its contribution in achieving the $5 trillion economy target being pursued by the country. Underscoring the importance of enhancing domestic coal production, he said it is crucial to work towards advancing in coal sector.
The Ministry of Coal has taken a series of reforms to ensure that the coal sector grows at a rapid pace and is able to meet the country’s energy needs. For 10th tranche too, mines falling under protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, critical habitats, having forest cover greater than 40%, heavily built-up area have been excluded. The block boundaries of some of the coal mines where there was presence of dense habitation, high green cover or critical infrastructure, etc., have been revised to improve the attractiveness of the coal mines, the Ministry said in a release.
Secretary to Ministry of Coal Amrit Lal Meena said enhanced coal production would help meet the rising energy demands and in doing so global best practices should be adopted. He called for robust state-level support to streamline the ease of doing business within the coal sector. Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority in the Ministry M. Nagaraju said leveraging private investment and expertise is crucial for meeting the growing energy needs and ensuring steady coal supply to various industries.
