The Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament attached to the Ministry of Coal reviewed progress on commercial coal mining reforms and measures to enhance private sector participation. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy and was attended by Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, senior ministry officials and representatives of coal public sector undertakings and committee members. The session focused on the theme Commercial Coal Mining Reforms and Leveraging Private Sector Participation.

Reddy said commercial coal mining has been a key reform introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the past 12 years and has rendered the sector more competitive and efficient through a transparent auction process. He noted that 14 rounds of commercial coal mine auctions have been completed, while the 15th round is currently underway. The ministry is engaging with industry bodies and private companies through roadshows and stakeholder consultations to increase awareness and encourage wider participation.

Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt stated that captive and commercial coal mines played a significant role in helping India achieve one billion (bn) tonnes (t) of coal production in each of the last two financial years. He added that these mines contributed around 20 per cent of the country’s total coal production during the previous financial year. Dutt highlighted that the time required to operationalise fully explored coal blocks has been reduced from 51 months to 40 months and that timelines for partially explored blocks have fallen from 66 months to 52 months.

Additional Secretary Rupinder Brar provided a presentation outlining reforms and measures to strengthen private sector participation and improve project delivery. Officials discussed steps to streamline approvals and support early mine development to accelerate capacity additions. The ministry emphasised continued outreach to prospective bidders to broaden the investor base.

Committee members said transparent auctions, shorter operationalisation timelines and stakeholder engagement are aimed at boosting competition and investment in the coal sector. The ministry will continue to monitor auction rounds and policy implementation.