Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy today inaugurated a Centre of Excellence (CoE) under the National Critical Minerals Mission and a Virtual Reality Mine Simulator (VRMS) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad during his two-day visit to Jharkhand.

The newly launched CoE will function as a national anchor for research and industry-scale solutions across the critical minerals value chain, including exploration, extraction, processing, recycling, reuse and waste-to-wealth initiatives. The centre will collaborate with industry leaders and international universities such as the University of Cambridge and St Petersburg University, while receiving infrastructure support from IIT Gandhinagar, IIT BHU and CPI (UK).

Alongside the CoE, the Minister inaugurated India’s first virtual reality-based mine simulator for coal mining safety and productivity. Developed by IIT (ISM) Dhanbad in collaboration with Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries—Northern Coalfields Limited and Eastern Coalfields Limited—the VRMS features a 360-degree immersive virtual reality theatre. Using real mine data, it offers more than 20 training modules covering heavy equipment operations and critical safety standard operating procedures. The simulator enables scenario-based assessment and certification for employees ranging from operators to senior management and is expected to reduce training time by nearly half while enhancing safety preparedness.

During his visit, G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Coal and Mines, Government of India, interacted informally with students and young researchers at RD Chowk, a long-standing campus meeting point. The discussion covered technology-led transformation in mining, opportunities in critical minerals, sustainability, clean energy and the need for indigenous, research-driven solutions.

Earlier, the Minister highlighted IIT (ISM) Dhanbad’s role in shaping India’s mining future through innovation and research. He noted that the sector is at a pivotal stage where technology, sustainability, critical minerals and national security are advancing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, supported by increased R&D investment, a growing patent ecosystem and digital initiatives such as Coal SETU, the Koyla Shakti Dashboard and integrated command and control systems.