Coal minister inaugurates Angul-Balram Rail-link

02 Jan 2023 CW Team

The rail link was opened by the Union Ministers of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pralhad Joshi, Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Railways, Communications, Electronics, & Information Technology, Shri Ashwani Vaishnav. It was built by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd, and IDCO.

The Angul-Balram rail link is the first stage of a 68-km-long inner corridor that will serve the Talcher coalfields in the Angul district of Odisha. The inner corridor runs from Angul to Balram, Putugadia, Jarapada, and Tentuloi. MCRL is implementing the inner corridor in two stages. 14 km of the Angul-Balram rail link would be built in the first phase, and 54 km of the Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link would be built in the second phase. This project, whose total estimated cost is Rs 17 billion, is being developed by IRCON International Ltd.

Shri OP Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MCL & Chairman of MCRL, Shri Keshav Rao, Director (Personnel), Shri Jugal Kumar Borah, Director (Technical), Shri Ajit Kumar Behura, Director (Finance), and Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, were also present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

MCL, which represents the Ministry of Coal, holds 64% of the equity shares in the MCRL. IRCON, who represents the Ministry of Railways, holds 26%, and IDCO, which represents the Government of Odisha, has 10%. In order to develop, finance, and implement the common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in the state of Odisha, this JV was established in 2015.

The Talcher coalfields' dry fuel will be more easily evacuated from the coal blocks assigned to miners other than Coal India. Keywords:Angul-Balram rail, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Coal India, Ministry of Railways.

The 14-km Angul-Balram rail link's opening gave Talcher coalfields coal evacuation a major boost and allowed Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) to increase daily coal despatch to consumers by about 40 thousand tonnes. The first phase of the Angul-Balram rail link was completed at a cost of Rs. 3 billion, and its commissioning has increased MCL's ability to ship 10 more rakes of coal per day. The rail link was opened by the Union Ministers of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pralhad Joshi, Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Railways, Communications, Electronics, & Information Technology, Shri Ashwani Vaishnav. It was built by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd, and IDCO. The Angul-Balram rail link is the first stage of a 68-km-long inner corridor that will serve the Talcher coalfields in the Angul district of Odisha. The inner corridor runs from Angul to Balram, Putugadia, Jarapada, and Tentuloi. MCRL is implementing the inner corridor in two stages. 14 km of the Angul-Balram rail link would be built in the first phase, and 54 km of the Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link would be built in the second phase. This project, whose total estimated cost is Rs 17 billion, is being developed by IRCON International Ltd. Shri OP Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MCL & Chairman of MCRL, Shri Keshav Rao, Director (Personnel), Shri Jugal Kumar Borah, Director (Technical), Shri Ajit Kumar Behura, Director (Finance), and Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, were also present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. MCL, which represents the Ministry of Coal, holds 64% of the equity shares in the MCRL. IRCON, who represents the Ministry of Railways, holds 26%, and IDCO, which represents the Government of Odisha, has 10%. In order to develop, finance, and implement the common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in the state of Odisha, this JV was established in 2015. The Talcher coalfields' dry fuel will be more easily evacuated from the coal blocks assigned to miners other than Coal India. Keywords:Angul-Balram rail, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Coal India, Ministry of Railways. See also: CIL's prospects expect to rise amid increased power demandMCL achieves 163 mt coal production target of 2021-22

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

Infrastructure Urban

13 Oct 2025

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

Technology

13 Oct 2025

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..