Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi today inaugurated 20 closed mines which will help in augmenting the supply of coal to the country. Pralhad Joshi tweeted, ‘In the presence of the Minister, 20 closed mines were launched on revenue sharing for re-operation. The estimated reserves of these mines are 380 MT and will help us in augmenting the supply of coal to TPP while creating employment opportunities for the local people.

After the launch of the mines, Joshi said, ‘I assure all of you that today we are mining coal responsibly. Despite achieving the target set by PM Modi in the renewable energy sector, the country will still require coal and hence coal gasification is essential.

Highlighting the nearly 20 percent increase in power demand in terms of energy, the Power Ministry on the previous day ordered all imported coal power plants to operate at full capacity.

In view of the emergency, the Union Ministry directed all states and all production companies based on domestic coal to import at least 10 percent of their requirement of coal for blending.