Technical cooperation with Poland on coal, lignite

The government today said it has sought technical cooperation from the government of Poland in the field of coal and lignite mining and also asked companies from the European country to invest in India.

Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, who met Poland Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak yesterday, also discussed the scope for technical cooperation between both nations, particularly on manufacturing of underground mining machinery, an official statement said today.

"Further, extraction of coalbed methane... environmental issues of coal mining were also discussed. Investments by Polish companies covering the above mentioned areas was desired by the Indian side, for which the Polish side assured participation in the tender process," the statement said.

The delegation, which is in the last leg of its 10-day visit to three European nations, will also visit the underground machinery manufacturing facilities of different firms.

The high-level delegation visiting the Czech Republic, Belarus and Poland also includes Ministry of Coal Special Secretary Alok Perti and Coal India Chairman and Managing Director N C Jha, among others.