Govt issues allocation orders for 22 coal mines, expects over 70,000 jobs to be created

Sixteen of these 22 mines are fully explored

The Union Coal Ministry on June 8 issued orders to allocate 22 coal mines to successful bidders of coal blocks under a commercial auction that was recently conducted.

These mines "will provide employment to about 71,467 people both directly and indirectly," an official statement said, adding that they are expected to generate an annual revenue of Rs 9,831 crore and capital investment of Rs 7,929 crore.

The cumulative peak rated capacity (PRC) of the 22 coal mines is "53 million tonne per annum", and their combined geological reserves adds up to "approximately 6,379.78 million tonne," the ministry added.

Out of the 22 mines, 16 are fully explored, whereas, six are partially explored.

With the latest allocation order, the Coal Ministry has so far issued vesting orders for a total of 73 coal mines under commercial auctions, with cumulative PRC of 149.304 MTPA. This will, cumulatively, result in generation of an annual revenue of Rs 23,097 crores for the state governments, and will generate employment opportunity to over 2 lakh persons, the release added.

Meanwhile, the country's domestic coal production was 7.10 per cent higher year-on-year at 76.26 MT in May 2023, as per the data shared by the government last week. The cumulative coal production in the April-May period came in at 149.41 MT, which was higher as against 138.41 MT recorded in the year-ago period.