Coal & Mines · Resource interface
The resource
ledger
This chapter explains the sectors that the Ministry of Coal and the Ministry of Mines govern: energy, exploration, critical minerals and responsible mining. It uses official figures throughout. It then lists, separately, the engagements in which the Minister of State's own participation is documented.
Energy · Production · Resource security
India's coal landscape
Coal remains the foundation of India's electricity system. The Ministry of Coal's Year End Review 2025 states that coal contributes "more than 55% to India's primary commercial energy". The same review says that "in total power generation, coal-fired power generation accounts for about 72%".
Most of India's coal is produced by public sector companies. Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries account for roughly three-quarters of national output. Their subsidiaries include Eastern Coalfields, Bharat Coking Coal, Central Coalfields, South Eastern Coalfields and Western Coalfields. Singareni Collieries and NLC India add further output of coal and lignite. The rest comes from captive and commercial mines allocated by auction under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.
Commercial coal mining was opened to auction in June 2020. When the 16th round was launched on 17 September 2026, the Ministry recorded 147 coal mines auctioned to date. It put their expected annual revenue at over ₹47,500 crore and projected capital investment at more than ₹55,000 crore.
In FY 2024-25 national production crossed one billion tonnes for the first time, a milestone reported by the Press Information Bureau on 20 March 2025. It was reached again on 20 March 2026, for the second year in a row. Coal imports fell by 7.9 per cent that year, to 243.62 million tonnes, according to the Ministry's Year End Review.
Policy now emphasises how coal is moved and used as well as how much is mined. It covers:
- First Mile Connectivity projects, which move coal from pithead to rail by conveyor and silo instead of by road.
- The National Coal Gasification Mission, with its target of 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030.
- Greater underground mining.
Sources: Ministry of Coal Year End Review 2025 (PIB) · PIB 2159531 · PIB 2117280 · PIB 2243291 · PIB 2311453
coal's share of India's primary commercial energy
MoC YER 2025of FY 2024-25 output produced by Coal India Ltd: 781.06 of 1,047.52 MT (derived)
MoC Annual Report 2025-26coal gasification target by 2030, National Coal Gasification Mission
MoC YER 2025Exploration · Allocation · Value chains
Mining & mineral development
The Ministry of Mines administers the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 for minerals other than coal, petroleum and natural gas. It oversees the Geological Survey of India, which carries out national geological mapping and exploration, and the Indian Bureau of Mines, which regulates mining plans, conservation and mine performance. Its public sector companies include NALCO, Hindustan Copper and the Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited.
Since 2015, mineral concessions have been allocated by auction. The Ministry's Year End Review 2025 records 585 mineral blocks successfully auctioned since the regime began. That includes 141 blocks in 2025 alone, up to 5 December, the highest in any single year. The first tranche of offshore mineral block auctions, covering blocks in the Arabian Sea and the Andaman Sea, was launched on 28 November 2024.
The MMDR Amendment Act, 2025 converted the National Mineral Exploration Trust into the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust. It raised the contribution to 3 per cent of royalty, provided for mineral exchanges, and removed the limit on sales from captive mines.
Sources: Ministry of Mines Year End Review 2025 (PIB) · PIB 2078782
Survey & exploration
Regional mapping and drilling by GSI, MECL and notified agencies establish resources.
Auction & allocation
Blocks are auctioned by state governments, or by the Centre for critical minerals.
Mining
Mining plans are approved and monitored by the Indian Bureau of Mines, with star ratings for performance.
Processing
Beneficiation, smelting and refining convert ore into usable material.
Manufacturing & recycling
Materials enter industry, and end-of-life products are recovered as secondary supply.
Clean energy · Technology · Supply security
Critical & strategic minerals
Critical minerals are needed for batteries, solar and wind equipment, electronics, advanced manufacturing and defence. Their mining and processing are concentrated in a small number of countries. For an importing economy, that makes supply security a matter of policy.
In June 2023 the Ministry of Mines published a list of 30 minerals identified as critical for India. The MMDR Act was amended on 17 August 2023. The amendment empowered the Central Government to grant concessions for 24 critical and strategic minerals, now listed in Part D of the First Schedule. It also introduced an exploration licence for deep-seated and critical minerals.
On 29 January 2025 the Union Cabinet approved the National Critical Mineral Mission. It has an outlay of ₹16,300 crore and an expected ₹18,000 crore of investment from public sector undertakings and others, a total of ₹34,300 crore over seven years. A ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme for recycling critical minerals followed in October 2025.
In a PIB release of 28 November 2025, the Minister of State described the gap directly:
"We have not been able to meet the domestic demand of critical minerals on our own. We are still dependent on other countries for the supply of critical minerals… While India is making significant strides towards coal self-reliance, the same is not true for critical minerals. I believe that we are taking steps in that direction but more needs to be done."Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, at the Indian Bureau of Mines, Nagpur · PIB 2196090
The 30 critical minerals (Ministry of Mines, 2023)
- Antimony
- Beryllium
- Bismuth
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Gallium
- Germanium
- Graphite
- Hafnium
- Indium
- Lithium
- Molybdenum
- Niobium
- Nickel
- PGE
- Phosphorous
- Potash
- REE
- Rhenium
- Silicon
- Strontium
- Tantalum
- Tellurium
- Tin
- Titanium
- Tungsten
- Vanadium
- Zirconium
- Selenium
- Cadmium
Tranche timeline
- Tranche I: 29 Nov 2023
- Tranche II: 29 Feb 2024
- Tranche III: 14 Mar 2024
- Tranche IV: 24 Jun 2024. Launched by Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Shri Satish Chandra Dubey.
- Tranche V: 20 Jan 2025, Konark
- Tranche VI: Sep 2025
- Tranche VII: 23 Mar 2026
- Tranche VIII: 15 Jul 2026, 20 blocks across nine states. Launched by Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Shri Satish Chandra Dubey.
Sources: Ministry of Mines Year End Reviews; PIB 2028356; PIB 2285144
Environment · Safety · Rehabilitation
Sustainable mining
Mining changes land, water and communities. Its regulation therefore extends well beyond output. The two ministries run a star-rating system that assesses mines on scientific and sustainable practice. Five-star and seven-star rated mines are recognised each year at award ceremonies, and the Minister of State has attended several of them. Mine closure, reclamation for new land uses, afforestation and the rehabilitation of displaced families are regulated obligations of mine operators.
Official releases record several initiatives of this kind during his visits to coal companies:
- Inauguration of 51 rooftop solar plants at BCCL in October 2024.
- The Bhatmura Rehabilitation Site at ECL in May 2025.
- Review of the Revised Jharia Master Plan for fire and subsidence-affected areas in August 2025 and May 2026.
- A proposal in May 2026 to use reclaimed mine land for makhana cultivation and fisheries.
At the Ministry of Coal's star rating ceremony in Mumbai on 4 September 2025, the PIB release carried his view as a headline. It said responsible mining "must give equal priority to environmental protection, scientific mine closure, and community welfare along with production efficiency".
Sources: PIB 2163749 · PIB 2062176 · PIB 2127153 · PIB 2161342 · PIB 2261305
First Mile Connectivity projects, costing nearly ₹45,000 crore with 1,319 MTPA capacity. 65 projects (552 MTPA) were commissioned, with the rest due by FY 2030.
MoC Annual Report 2025-26 / YER 2025five-star rated mines (performance year 2023-24) felicitated in Jaipur on 7 July 2025
Ministry of Mines YER 2025fall in coal imports in 2024-25, to 243.62 MT
MoC YER 2025Documented participation only
Documented ministerial engagements
The sector figures above are outcomes of Government policy and of the ministries' institutions. They are not attributed to any individual. The table below lists only engagements in which an official release names Shri Satish Chandra Dubey. Events where he was announced in advance but not named in the post-event release are excluded.
| Date | Place | Institution | Documented activity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2024 | New Delhi | Ministry of Mines | With the Union Minister, launched the 4th tranche of critical and strategic mineral auctions (21 blocks) and declared preferred bidders for Tranche I | PIB 2028356 |
| 5 Oct 2024 | Surda, Jharkhand | Hindustan Copper Ltd | Inaugurated the resumption of operations at HCL's Surda copper mine | PIB 2062419 |
| 6 Oct 2024 | Bokaro & Kargali, Jharkhand | CCL | Laid foundation stones for the Karo (7 MTPA) and Konar (5 MTPA) coal handling plants, both First Mile Rail Connectivity projects | PIB 2062752 |
| 5 May 2025 | Sonepur Bazari, West Bengal | ECL | Reviewed production, dispatch and safety; inaugurated the Bhatmura Rehabilitation Site | PIB 2127153 |
| 27 Aug 2025 | Dhanbad, Jharkhand | BCCL | Chaired a review of the Revised Jharia Master Plan; inaugurated a surgical ICU and a skill development institute | PIB 2161342 |
| 28 Nov 2025 | Nagpur | Indian Bureau of Mines | First visit to IBM headquarters; reviewed its functioning and the Mining Tenement System | PIB 2196090 |
| 13 May 2026 | Kunustoria, West Bengal | ECL | Review of Eastern Coalfields; referred to First Mile Connectivity, mine closure and solar initiatives | PIB 2260848 |
| 15 Jul 2026 | New Delhi | Ministry of Mines | With the Union Minister, launched the 8th tranche of critical mineral auctions (20 blocks, nine states) | PIB 2285144 |
