Lok Sabha Question No. 684 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-03
Subject: Impact of Coal Mining
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Smt. Lovely Anand

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 684 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.12.2025

## Impact of Coal Mining

684. SMT. LOVELY ANAND:

Will the Minister of Coal be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the current coal production targets to ensure the energy security of the Country;
- (b) the steps being taken by the Government to reduce the environmental impact of coal mining;
- (c) the  progress  made  in  promoting  clean  coal  technologies  such  as  coal gasification and liquefaction;
- (d) the extent of success of the policy of auctioning commercial coal blocks; and
- (e) the Government's plans for revival of closed mines and land reclamation?

## Answer

## MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a): All India raw coal production target for the year 2025-26 is 1157 Million Tonnes (MT) out of which, the target of coal production of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) is 875 MT, for Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd (SCCL) is 72 MT, and that for Captive/ Commercial/  Others  is  210  MT.  The  Ministry  of  Coal  has  set  an  ambitious domestic coal production target of about 1.5 Billion Tonne (BT) by FY 2029-30.
- (b): Coal  producing  Public  Sector  Undertakings  (Coal-PSUs)  follow  strict environmental  norms  for  coal  mining.  Before  starting  any  new  project  or  for expansion of a coal mine project, Environment Clearances (EC) are obtained for which Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan  (EMP)  are  prepared,  and  these  are  implemented  in  all  the  mines.  Land reclamation  is  done  as  per  approved  Mining  plan  and  EMP. Coal-PSUs  have adopted a comprehensive set of measures to minimise the environmental impact of coal mining such as (a) strict enforcement of Environment (Protection) Act, Air Act, Water Act, and Mine Closure Guidelines; (b) Promotion of Sustainable and Green Mining Technologies; (c) Stringent Air Quality Compliance and Monitoring; (d) Mine Water Reuse and Conservation Measures; (e) Land Reclamation and Mine Closure  Guidelines;  (f)  large-scale  Plantation  and  Green  Belt  Development; (g) Monitoring and Compliance through PARIVESH Portal; (h) collaboration with CPCB,  SPCBs  and  Ministry  of  Environment  and  Forests  &  Climate  Change (MoEF&CC);  (i) adoption of eco-friendly Technologies; and (j) adoption of pollution control measures.

(c): To enhance coal quality while minimising environmental impact through the  implementation  of  state-of-the-art  beneficiation  technologies,  all  newly commissioned and planned washeries are equipped with advanced technological solutions, including Heavy Media Cyclone, Teeter Bed Separator, Spiral Concentrator  and  Froth  Flotation  Technology. All  new  washeries  have  been designed  to  achieve  zero  effluent  discharge. Additionally,  modernisation  and renovation  of  existing  ageing  washeries  have  been  taken  up  to  enhance operational efficiency and reducing the environmental footprint of coal washing operations.

As regards coal gasification, the Government approved a comprehensive financial assistance scheme on 24 January 2024, with an outlay of ₹ 8,500 crore, to support coal  and  lignite  gasification  projects. Under  this  initiative,  seven  projects  have been selected and they are at different stages of implementation and it is expected that they would utilize approximately 11.755 MT per annum of coal once they are commissioned.

(d): In just 5 years of auction policy, Ministry of Coal has auctioned 133 coal mines in 12 rounds of auctions with Peak Rated Capacity of 276.04 MTPA. Once operationalised, these 133 coal mines are expected to generate an annual revenue of Rs. 38,710 Crore with a capital investment of Rs. 41,407 Crore and provide employment to 3,73,199 persons.

(e): Coal India Limited is implementing the revival of certain legacy and nonoperational underground  mines through the Revenue  Sharing Model for abandoned  and  discontinued  coal  mines.  In  Revenue  sharing  mode,  CIL/its subsidiary  offers  to  re-open,  salvage,  rehabilitate,  develop  and  operate  any suitable  discontinued  mine  through  a  mine  developer  and  operator  (MDO)  for excavation/ extraction of coal and delivery thereof to CIL/its subsidiary and a percentage of the revenue from the coal mined are shared with CIL/its subsidiary based on highest rate quoted in the bidding.

Under the Revenue Sharing model, a total of 32 discontinued/abandoned mines have been identified so far. Letter of Acceptance (LoA) have been issued for 28 mines  having  39.28  Mty  capacity.  4  mines  are  in  re-tendering  stage.  Coal production has started in 2 mines during FY 2025-26, namely, PB Project of BCCL and Gopinathpur Project of ECL.

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