TALCHER: Union Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has said Coal India Limited (CIL) will produce a whopping 1,000 million tonne (MT) coal by the turn of 2023-24. “CIL has set a target to produce 660 MT coal this fiscal. As regards the hike in coal royalty, a committee will consider the demand,” he told media persons on Wednesday during his one-day tour to Talcher Coalfield.
Accompanied by CIL chief Anil Kumar Jha, joint secretary of coal R K Sinha and CMD, MCL Bhola Nath Sukla, Joshi first made an aerial survey of the coal mines and laid the foundation stone for a DAV school.
He said last year the nation imported 235 MT coal which cost a huge amount. “MCL produces about 24 per cent of CIL’s output. It produced 144 MT coal last year and will produce 162 MT coal in the current fiscal,” he said, adding that coal is essential for energy security of the nation.
Joshi went on to announce 300 per cent hike in ex gratia amount for fatal coal mine accidents from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, a welfare measure that will cover more than 3.5 lakh families of miners working under Coal India and its subsidiaries in eight States.
He also announced that Mahanadi Coalfields, which has given over 16,000 permanent jobs in lieu of land since its inception, will offer employment to more than 4,000 land oustees in Odisha by the financial year 2024-25.