A coal rake from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) Naini coal mine in Odisha reached the Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP) at Jaipur in Mancherial district on Thursday, marking the first supply of coal from an SCCL operated mine outside Telangana. SCCL directors inaugurated the unloading process at STPP after traditional rituals. The rake carried about 4,000 t of G-10 grade coal in 59 wagons and travelled 1,131 km to the plant. Unloading began to ensure supply for the station. The Naini coal block was allotted to SCCL by the Union coal ministry on 13 August 2015 and has estimated reserves of 340.78 million tonnes (mn t), with a planned annual capacity of 10 million tonnes (10 mn t) over 36 years. The project remained stalled for nearly nine years owing to pending statutory clearances. After the Congress assumed office, the state chief minister and the deputy chief minister prioritised the project, and the deputy chief minister visited Odisha twice to expedite approvals and virtually inaugurated production at Naini on 16 April 2025. The Union minister for coal and mines assisted by facilitating forest clearances and statutory approvals. While on an official visit to the United States, the deputy chief minister described the arrival as a historic development and said the government would continue to support SCCL's expansion, citing planned acquisitions of the Tadicherla-2 and Manuguru Dip-side blocks and efforts to secure further coal blocks. He urged SCCL to diversify into critical and rare earth minerals and signalled willingness to procure advanced mining equipment, including technologies from Caterpillar, to modernise operations. SCCL chairman and managing director Dr Buddhaprakash Jyoti thanked the Telangana and Odisha governments, Indian Railways and staff for facilitating the transportation, and SCCL directors described the movement as a historic achievement. Senior officials, including the STPP executive director and general manager, together with trade union leaders and employees, attended and oversaw the unloading.