Reddy Chairs Marathon Review Meeting of Coal Sector
Published: Nov 14, 2025
By TIOLCorplaws News Service
NEW DELHI, NOV 14, 2025: A day long marathon Half-Yearly Review Meeting of the Ministry of Coal was held on 13.11.2025 at New Delhi, under the Chairmanship of Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy and co-chaired by Satish Chandra Dubey, Minister of State of Coal and Mines. The meeting was attended by Vikram Dev Dutt, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Mrs. Rupinder Brar, Additional Secretary and Sanoj Kumar Jha, Additional Secretary & CMD CIL (Additional Charge) and the CMDs of CIL subsidiaries, NLCIL and SCCL.
Delivering the keynote address, Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, commended the efforts of the Ministry and the PSUs for their sustained contributions to India's energy security. The Minister appreciated the efforts of all PSUs for maintaining steady coal production despite challenges such as heavy rains and operational bottlenecks, and urged them to ensure that this year's production targets are met, maintaining a growth over the last year, through focused and coordinated efforts. Emphasizing that “Reform, Perform, Transform and Inform” is the guiding mantra set by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minister called on all PSUs to prepare individual action plans focusing on reforms, efficiency, and innovation.
He observed that initiatives like the Integrated Coal Command and Control Centre (ICCC) are important steps toward modernization and encouraged for the tangible progress and measurable outcomes must follow to reflect real progress.
The Minister called for healthy competition among PSUs to drive excellence in production, profitability, workers' welfare, and environmental performance, and urged subsidiaries to adopt and replicate best practices across the coal sector.
Highlighting worker welfare, the Minister commended Coal India Limited's initiative to provide an additional personal accident insurance cover of Rs 1 crore for its regular employees. He noted that while the cost to the company is small, the impact on employee morale and social security is significant. The Minister encouraged all other PSUs to adopt similar measures, noting that small welfare initiatives can have a large positive effect on coal workers' lives.
The Minister encouraged all PSUs to accelerate Overburden (OB) testing and conduct frequent sampling for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and critical minerals, emphasizing the importance of scientific exploration for India's mineral security.
He emphasized the need for stronger coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), which has been extending consistent support through timely approvals. He directed that the development of coal washeries be taken up on priority to improve coal quality and reduce import dependence.
The Minister advised exploring outsourcing with suitable business models for coal washeries and encouraged PSUs to explore the opportunities of external funding and partnerships, as several private stakeholders have expressed interest in investing in the sector. On mine closure and sustainability, the Minister directed that a dedicated Mine Closure Cell be set up in the PSUs to ensure the time-bound closure of 340 de-coaled mines.
Acknowledging the social role of PSUs, the Minister suggested that all PSUs should support UPSC aspirants who qualify for the Preliminary Examination under their CSR initiatives, following the example set by SCCL. He highlighted that profitability indicators—both before and after tax—must improve, and called on all PSUs to strengthen financial performance and efficiency to surpass last year's results.
The Minister advised officials to hold regular stakeholder consultations to monitor production, performance, and reform initiatives, and to prepare a follow-up action plan for the next review meeting. Reiterating the Government's vision, the Minister concluded that reforms are the key to progress
Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Vikram Dev Dutt in his welcome address, highlighted that the coal sector has demonstrated remarkable stability and resilience. Coal production and dispatch have remained strong and steady, supply has been interrupted and stock levels have been more than adequate. He noted with satisfaction that no power shortages have been reported this year, reflecting the sector's ability to ensure uninterrupted energy availability across the nation.
He emphasized that this achievement is a reflection not only of operational efficiency but also of the collective resolve of the Ministry and its Public Sector Undertakings to uphold India's energy security. Dutt added that every reform and initiative is being steered with a singular vision to contribute meaningfully to the realization of a Viksit Bharat through a self-reliant, sustainable, and future-ready coal ecosystem. Dutt further highlighted that the coal sector stands at the threshold of a new era defined by adequate production, seamless supply, and comfortable stock levels across the country. Sustainability, he said, remains central to every initiative undertaken by the Ministry, ensuring that growth is pursued responsibly with due emphasis on environmental care and social commitment.
Referring to ongoing reforms, he spoke of the Ministry's continued efforts to enhance transparency, digital governance, and ease of doing business. He also noted that inter-ministerial collaboration has emerged as a key enabler, fostering policy convergence, operational synergy, and a holistic approach towards strengthening the nation's energy security.
Through shared purpose, collaboration, and innovation, the Ministry is shaping a more resilient and self-reliant coal landscape one that continues to power India's growth story with vision, responsibility, and sustainability.
Subsequently, CMDs of Coal India Limited (CIL), Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and NLC India Limited (NLCIL) presented comprehensive reports on their performance during the first half of the financial year. Their presentations covered critical aspects such as coal production, dispatch, overburden removal, mine safety, land reclamation, sustainability initiatives, and CSR interventions and digital outreach. Each PSU also shared innovations and best practices. Further, a brief session was conducted to emphasize the need to align the Ministry's and PSUs outreach strategy with the national communication framework, focusing on clarity, credibility, empathy, and people-centric communication.
An extensive interactive session followed, fostering in-depth deliberations on sectoral challenges, policy reforms, and future strategies aimed at boosting production, efficiency, and transparency.
During the meeting, Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy also released, the Coal Directory of India 2024-25, which offers an extensive overview of India's coal sector encompassing data on total coal reserve, production, production and sector wise distribution trend, Coal import and export, payment to govt ex-chequer, world coal production, mine and blocks data etc. The publication serves as a valuable resource for policy formulation, research, and industry analysis.
The review meeting also acknowledged the exemplary performance of Coal PSUs under Special Campaign 5.0 and Swachhta Pakhwada. Appreciations were conferred on SECL, CCL, NLCIL, MCL, and SCCL for their outstanding contributions in areas such as scrap disposal, digital file management, creative outreach, and innovative cleanliness initiatives, reflecting the Ministry's continued focus on efficiency, transparency, and sustainable practices.
The meeting concluded with a collective resolve to uphold the principles of efficiency, innovation, and safety, as the Ministry of Coal continues to lead India's march toward energy independence and the realization of Viksit Bharat 2047.
