Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy emphasized the need to enhance existing mining operations and initiate new projects to achieve self-reliance in the coal sector. He mentioned that all subsidiaries of the state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) must meet their annual targets to satisfy the country's fossil fuel requirements.

The minister assured that the government would provide full support, including assistance with land acquisition and obtaining environmental and forest clearances, to advance these initiatives, as stated by the coal ministry.

Coal India contributes over 80 percent of the country's coal output. During his visit to the headquarters of CIL's subsidiary, Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL), in Nagpur, Reddy conducted a review of the company’s performance. According to the ministry’s statement, he assessed WCL's coal production, productivity, and dispatch efficiency while addressing concerns related to those affected by the projects.

A comprehensive presentation was provided, detailing critical metrics related to coal production, dispatch, and overburden removal for the first and second quarters of the current fiscal year. Additionally, it was confirmed that WCL is on track to meet its annual production targets by the end of the financial year.