Coal Ministry finalises action plan for FY23, to focus on 15 crucial areas

The Ministry of Coal has prepared an Action Plan Document for 2022-2023 that focuses on 15 key sectors of coal production.

This is the second time that a year's agenda has been published in the form of a compilation and sent to all senior officials charged with guiding these key areas through the year with regular monitoring and appraisals.

The Ministry seeks to focus on 15 key sectors of coal production in order to achieve its production targets by the end of 2030. The sectors under focus included: Grey Hydrogen, Just Transition/ Energy Transition, Restructuring Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation, Coal evacuation, Benchmarking of Machines & Quantifiable Parameters, Outsourcing of Coal India Ltd., Coal Trading Platform, Regulatory Mechanism for coal, Training, Corporate Restructuring of Coal Sector, Quality Issues, Lignite Gasification, Coking Coal Strategy, Coal Pricing Reforms, and several futuristic agendas. 

The topics covered are built on major reforms achieved recently and provide direction for covering and meeting current and upcoming difficulties in the coal sector, as well as aligning itself with emerging technologies and diversification efforts, the ministry said in a statement.

The Action Plan for FY23 includes a wide range of topics for leading the coal industry toward new technologies while focusing on the fundamental competency of meeting output objectives. The Ministry of Coking Coal created the Coking Coal Mission to increase coking coal output from 45 million tonnes in 2020-21 to 140 million tonnes by 2029-30, with 105 million tonnes coming from CIL, the ministry's statement added.

In addition, the Coal Ministry's ambitious futuristic agendas include diversification and expansion into other sectors. These include diversification from coal to other chemical products such as Syn gas, Hydrogen Gas, Liquid Fuels, Chemicals, and Fertilizers, apart from its move into sunrise industries such as electric charging pods and EVs. Furthermore, acquisitions and mergers of similar or new enterprises, following due diligence, media campaigns, and rigorous monitoring of CSR operations are also a few examples of the coal ministry's plans for the future.

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