This contract is for 25 years and the total coal production proposed under it will be 6.05 million tonnes. The contract has been made on a revenue-sharing basis. This is WCL's first contract of its kind and the third such contract for parent company Coal India Ltd.

Manoj Kumar, chairman and managing director of WCL, expressed the hope that work in the Valni mine would start soon and this mine would play an important role in meeting the coal requirements of the nation.

It may be noted that the Coal Ministry has launched a special campaign to fulfil the coal requirements of the country.