India to close 30 coal mines, promote reforestation

18 May 2023 CW Team

Approximately 30 coal mines will be shut down within the next three to four years in order to make way for forests or bodies of water, according to Amrit Lal Meena, the Secretary of the Ministry of Coal. Meena made this announcement during the third Energy Transitions Working Group meeting, which was held as part of the G20 summit in Mumbai on Monday.

Meena also stated that there would be a significant reduction in the amount of imported coal. Chittaranjan Tembhekar reports on this development.

"The areas where coal has been extracted will be utilised in an environmentally-friendly manner by filling them with fly ash and creating forested areas, agricultural land, solar power plants, and bodies of water," he explained. He further added that Coal India and other government agencies involved in coal mining are on track to achieve a net-zero targets of 5,200 units of solar power production by 2026, in order to compensate for the carbon emissions resulting from the energy required for mining activities.

Also Read
Coal ministry seeks proposals to enhance coal sector R&D
Coal Ministry Action Plan 2023 -24 Targets 1012 MT Coal Production

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..