The Coal Ministry has conducted a meeting to review the status of mines that have been auctioned in different tranches and are in varying stages of process completion.

The comprehensive review focused on highlighting the government’s commitment to enhancing domestic coal production, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement on Thursday.

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The meeting was chaired by the additional secretary and nominated authority, Ministry of Coal, Rupinder Brar. He impressed upon the allottees to take the necessary steps to operationalise the coal blocks that are in the advanced stages of operationalisation.

As per the information shared by the ministry, the 71 coal blocks are in various stages of obtaining regulatory clearances. These blocks are distributed across nine states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal.

This strategic review underscores the Ministry’s proactive approach to addressing hurdles in coal block operationalisation to meet India’s growing energy needs.

By focusing on these mines, the government aims to maximise domestic resources and reduce dependence on coal imports.

As per the latest data shared by the ministry, coal production in August witnessed a growth of 6.48% reaching 384.08 million tonnes up from 360.71 MT last year.

The production of Coal India Limited (CIL) rose to 290.39 MT during the period of April to August 2024 marking a growth of 3.17% as compared to 281.46 MT during the corresponding period of the last period, the Ministry of Coal had said.

Coal production from captive and other entities also demonstrated remarkable growth, reaching 68.99 MT from April to August 2024—a substantial increase of 30.56% compared to 52.84 MT in the same period of the previous year.