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India to ramp up coal production to 1080MT

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Announcement 23 May 2024 04:50 PM IST Economic Times

The coal ministry has set the production goal for the fiscal year 2024–2025 of 1080 million tonnes (MT), aiming to build on the coal production growth rate of more than 13% that has been seen over the previous two fiscal years. It is anticipated that Coal India Limited (CIL) will contribute the most amount, 838 MT, followed by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) at 72 MT, and 170 MT from captive & other mines.

In its ongoing efforts to ensure the quality of coal supplied to consumers, the Ministry has recorded a significant improvement in grade confirmation over the last fiscal year, with more than 76% of samples conforming to the declared grade, thereby resulting in considerable revenue savings for coal companies. For 2024-25, the ministry has set a target of achieving 80% grade conformity.

To enforce this, the ministry has developed a system for ranking coal mines based on grade conformation parameters. In instances of significant variation, flying squads from the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) are dispatched monthly to randomly collect samples for verification, with over 40 mines selected each month for this scrutiny.

The ministry is also advocating for the adoption of mechanised mining techniques to reduce the need for blasting in mining operations. Surface miners and continuous miners have been deployed to ensure that coal extracted is less than 100mm in size, thus reducing the instances of boulders in the coal.

Additionally, the ministry has embarked on an ambitious initiative to create mechanised coal handling infrastructure. As of last year, only 16% of the total coal dispatched by CIL was evacuated through mechanised means. This year, the target has been set to increase this percentage to 35%.

The ministry has undertaken a massive drive for the digitisation of coal mining operations. All vehicles transporting coal from mines to railway loading points are now mandatorily equipped with GPS devices, boom barriers are RFID enabled, and weighing bridges have been automated.

An extensive network of CCTV cameras connected to a central command and control unit has also been installed, which has significantly improved issues related to coal theft and illegal mining. The spokesperson from the ministry said, "These measures not only enhance the efficiency of coal production and transportation but also ensure that we meet our production targets while adhering to the highest standards of quality and environmental safety."