CMPDI, a Mini-Ratna company, celebrated the 51st Foundation Day of Coal India Limited on 20 November with full enthusiasm at its headquarters in Ranchi. Chief Guest Sanjay Seth, Minister of State for Defence, said completing 50 years was a remarkable milestone for both Coal India and CMPDI. He noted that high-quality research and development, along with continuous innovation, had enabled CMPDI to achieve this landmark. Praising the organisation’s promptness and dedication in meeting India’s energy needs since inception, he added that CMPDI is contributing meaningfully to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 and the national goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070. Special Guest of Honour N. C. Jha, former Chairman of Coal India Limited, commended CMPDI’s longstanding contribution and stressed the need for greater adoption of information technology and diversification of services to remain relevant in an evolving mining landscape. He urged CMPDI to strengthen its Business Development function to harness emerging opportunities across the sector. Former CMD of CMPDI Manoj Kumar said CMPDI must align its activities with the national vision of Viksit Bharat and India’s Net-Zero commitments. He noted that the organisation is well positioned to capitalise on new opportunities to meet the country’s growing energy requirements. Addressing the gathering, Satish Jha, CMD (Additional Charge) of CMPDI and CMD of Eastern Coalfields Limited, highlighted key achievements over the past year. He emphasised that to remain relevant in a rapidly changing global environment, CMPDI must diversify beyond coal into critical and rare-earth elements, clean-energy solutions and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and smart mining. This transition, he said, is essential for CMPDI to sustain leadership and innovation in the decades ahead. Sanjay Seth and other dignitaries presented corporate awards to CMPDI departments and Regional Institutes in recognition of outstanding performance across various operational areas during 2024–25. The event was attended by senior officials including CCL CMD Nilendu Kumar Singh; Director (Technical/CRD) Shankar Nagachari; Director (Technical/ES) Rajiv Kumar Sinha; Director (Technical/RD&T) Nripendra Nath; IICM Executive Director Dr Kamakshi Raman; former CMDs, Directors and General Managers of CMPDI and Coal India, along with Regional Directors, Heads of Departments and representatives of CMOAI.