The Ministry of Coal on Monday highlighted that the Index of Coal Industry has achieved a growth of 10.9 per cent among the eight core industries during November 2023 citing the data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industries.

The Coal Sector achieved 185.7 points in November compared to 167.5 points, same time last year. The cumulative index of the coal sector during April to November, 2023-24 has increased by 12.8 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year.

The growth in the Index of Coal Industry is mainly due to a substantial surge in coal production during the month of November 2023, reaching 84.52 Million Tonne (MT), surpassing 76.16 MT of the corresponding month of the previous year, representing a remarkable increase of 10.97 per cent, the Ministry statement said.

It highlighted that the Ministry has played a pivotal role in driving this growth through various strategic initiatives. These include augmenting domestic production through an auction-based regime for commercial coal mining, engaging Mine Developer cum Operators (MDOs) to ramp up domestic coal output and reopening of discontinued mines on a revenue-sharing model to boost coal production.

The noteworthy growth of the coal sector and its contribution to the overall growth of the eight core industries are a testament to the continuous initiatives undertaken by the Coal Ministry. These efforts align with the vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and contribute to the nation’s progress towards self-sufficiency and energy security.

The latest data indicates that the Combined Index of eight Core Industries has shown an increase of 7.8 per cent in November 2023, compared to the same period of the previous year.

The ICI measures the combined and individual production performance of eight core industries — cement, coal, crude oil, electricity, fertilizers, natural gas, refinery products and steel.

According to the data released, the production of Coal, Electricity, Fertilizers, Natural Gas, Refinery Products and Steel recorded positive growth in November 2023.

The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).