According to M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Coal, India's coal sector is poised to increase its production to approximately 1.1 billion tonnes next year, marking a compound annual growth rate of 11% over the past two years. Nagaraju outlined the government's robust plan for the coal sector, which includes a significant focus on reducing import dependencies and enhancing domestic capabilities. Nagaraju stated that the government has initiated the coking coal mission with a strategic target to reach 140 million tonnes of coking coal production by 2030. As part of this plan, eight coking coal washeries will be established to meet the increasing demand from the steel sector. Nagaraju expressed the government's goal to be self-sufficient in coal production by 2029?30 and be in a position to supply coal to other countries. Furthermore, the Ministry of Coal is finalising a policy that will facilitate the washery route for coking coal, which will help in offering washed coking coal to the steel industry for blending with imported coal. This move is aimed at enhancing the quality of domestic coal and reducing the steel sector's reliance on foreign coal. In addition to these initiatives, the government is also promoting coal gasification with an allocation of Rs 8,500 crore to support the set-up of coal gasification plants by both the private and public sectors. Nagaraju highlighted the potential for diversification within the coal industry through this initiative. Avinash Kumar Mishra, Executive Director (Coal) at the Railway Board, emphasised the logistical support being planned to aid the coal sector. He noted that the railways would offer specialised wagons for transporting coal, particularly for the emerging coal gasification market. Mishra also mentioned the significant improvement in coal availability over the last two years, attributing it to increased imports, which are expected to reduce as domestic production escalates.
