Coal & Mining

India's coal sector was reshaped after 2014. When the Supreme Court cancelled earlier coal-block allocations that year, the government restructured the sector — amending mining laws and, from 2020, opening it to commercial and private miners. Production climbed steadily and crossed 1 billion tonnes for the first time in 2024-25 (about 1,048 MT), up from around 565 MT a decade earlier.

Coal India Limited remains the backbone, producing around 781 MT, while private and captive mines grew fastest — up nearly 29% in a year. Mega-mines like Gevra and Kusmunda in Chhattisgarh rank among the largest in the world. Higher domestic output cut coal imports and saved billions in foreign exchange, and the sector employs around 5 lakh mine workers across 350-plus mines.

Most of India's coal is dug by the state giant Coal India Limited from vast open-cast mines, then moved by rail to the power plants that still generate the bulk of the country's electricity. For decades mining was a government monopoly; since 2020 the sector was opened to commercial private mining, letting companies mine and sell coal freely for the first time, to lift output and cut import dependence.

Coal remains India's energy backstop even as renewables surge — output has climbed past 1 billion tonnes a year, and the government is pushing higher to cut imports. The direction is careful, not abrupt: keep the lights on and industry fed today while gradually raising cleaner sources, improving mine safety and land restoration — and even eyeing retired coal sites for future nuclear plants.

Coal is India's central energy balancing act — it still supplies most of the country's power, so the long-run task is meeting today's energy security while steadily shifting toward a lower-carbon mix.

~565 → ~1,048 MT coal production (2014→2025). 1 billion tonnes first crossed in 2024-25. ~55% of energy mix; 70%+ of power. ~5 lakh mine workers. Sources: Ministry of Coal, CIL, PIB.