Despite the underperformance of the public-sector undertaking's subsidiary, the coal ministry and Coal India (CIL) are counting on South Eastern Coalfields (SECL) to meet the output target for 2022-23 (FY23). CIL, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of domestic output, has set a 700 million tonnes (MT) target for FY23.

In FY22, SECL's output fell short of the annual plan by more than 5 per cent. Last year, the company set a target of 150 MT. It could, however, extract 142.5 MT. The Bilaspur-based firm fell to second place in production among CIL's eight entities. Mahanadi Coalfields, based in Odisha, took the top spot.

This fiscal year, SECL has set a target of 182 MT. The coal ministry and CIL are keeping a close eye on the situation.

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