Govt has implemented central sector scheme for exploring coal, lignite resources: Pralhad Joshi

New Delhi [India], December 6 : With a view to increase domestic coal exploration, the government has implemented Central sector scheme (CSS) for exploration of coal and lignite resources, said Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
As per an official release by the Ministry of Coal, "The following action has been taken by Government to further enhance the production of coal and bridge the gap between demand and supply of coal in the country. The auction of commercial mining on Revenue Sharing Mechanism was launched on June 18, 2020. Under this scheme, a total of 2 tranches have been successfully completed. From these two tranches total of 28 coal mines have been successfully auctioned."
The Ministry of Coal has amended Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 with a view to allowing the sale of coal or lignite, on payment of the additional amount, by the lessee of a captive mine up to 50 per cent of the total coal or lignite produced in a financial year, after meeting the requirement of the end-use plant linked with the mine.
The single Window Clearance portal has been launched on January 11, 2021. It is a unified platform that facilitates grants of clearances and approvals required for starting a coal mine in India.
Coal India Limited. has envisaged 15 Projects identified with a Capacity of about 160 MTPA (Million Tonnes per Annum) to be operated by Mine Developer-cum-Operator mode.
With a view to increasing coking coal production in the country, Coking Coal Mission has been launched by the Government with the production target of 170 MT by FY 2029-30 from the current level of 45 Million Tonnes (approx.) produced in 2020-2021.