India aims to auction coal blocks for commercial mining by end of December, coal secretary Susheel Kumar told television news channel ET NOW on Thursday, a move that would end monopoly of state-run firms in coal mining.
This could help the country meet its target and produce 1 billion tonne by 2020.
Coal accounts for about 70 per cent of India’s power generation, and the government wants to boost domestic output to cut imports.
Despite environmental worries, India plans to continue to depend on burning coal to provide power for a population of 1.3 billion.
Indian coal companies have pithead stock - coal mined, but not supplied - of 69 million tonne, Kumar said, adding Coal India does not need to produce more.
(Reuters)
