New Delhi: To further strengthen sustainable coal mining in India and to focus on green coal technology and scientific closure of coal mines, a financial outlay will be announced soon, Union Minister for Coal Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday. The minister was addressing the valedictory session of the National Workshop on “Global Experience Sharing on Just Transition,” organised here by the Ministry of Coal, said an official statement.
The minister said that India’s electricity consumption is only one-third of the global average. At the same time, India is one of the top five solar power-producing countries in the world. While ensuring just transition in the coal sector, aspirations of the grassroot-level people has to be addressed adequately, he said. Joshi also stated that Coal India Limited and its subsidiary units are focused on pursuing Clean Coal Technologies.
In his keynote address, Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said that with enhanced domestic coal production, India’s coal sector is giving the right fillip to the economic growth. He said that a dedicated organisation with a strong institutional framework is necessary for scientific closure of abandoned coal mines.
M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary at the Coal Ministry, said that more than 300 abandoned coal mines need to be closed in a scientific manner benefiting the environment and the people living nearby. The workshop is a step in the right direction to evolve a knowledge bank for the same, he added. In the initial stage, as a pilot project three-four coal mines will be taken up for scientific closure, he said.
Earlier, Dr Anil Kumar Jain, Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) and former Secretary of Coal Ministry, said that globally the pace of energy transition is very fast and a very effective technology framework is needed for meaningful mine closure and rehabilitation.
As part of the workshop, five panel discussions and breakout sessions have been held. Besides eminent experts from the coal sector within the country and abroad and World Bank experts also attended the one-day workshop.