Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the auction process in June for coal blocks for commercial mining to opens India’s coal sector for private players
New Delhi, August 27: Anil Kumar Jain, Coal Secretary, said on Tuesday that the coal ministry is in talks with the environment ministry for reducing the time required for obtaining forest clearance for operationalization of blocks, as the forest clearance required for operationalization of blocks takes a lot of time.
“Environment clearance has now become much more easier. In case of forest clearance, we are constantly applying our mind and talking to the ministry of forest and we are hopeful that in next 6-12 months, you might hear that the time taken to get forest clearance may also get reduced”, the secretary said, while speaking during ‘Stakeholders Consultation on Addressing Financing Perspective for Auction of Coal Mines for Commercial Mining’, organized by industry partner FICCI.
“In order to get a coal, mine operational, the allottee has to seek permission from various agencies, which is time consuming. It takes around five years for a block to start production”, he said, adding, “However, the mining plan has become much more manageable now.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June launched the auction process for coal blocks for commercial mining, a move that opens India’s coal sector for private players, and expected to garner ₹33,000 crore of capital investment in the country over next five to seven years.
“The launch of the auction process not only marks the beginning of unlocking the country’s coal sector from the lockdown of decades, but also aims at making India the largest exporter of coal,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi
