Mr Piyush Goyal Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New Renewable has said that the ‘Maharatna’ Public Sector Enterprise Coal India Limited has registered a growth rate of 9.4 per cent during the first six months of the current fiscal. He expressed confidence that it would certainly achieve the targeted growth of 50 million tonnes in the annual production this year. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Mr Goyal said that the company has achieved impressive growth last year which was more than the accumulated growth in production during the previous four years together and the company has now resolved to grow higher briskly.

The Minister said that inauguration of the two open cast mine projects of the Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) at Dinesh and Yekona in Umred area of Nagpur district marks fulfillment of assurance of opening one new mine per month and leads to a new era in the history of the company. The two projects would add the production capacity by 6.75 million tonnes out of which around 5.7 million tonnes of coal would be provided to Mahagenco and other power houses and lead in turn to generation of additional power of 1400 mega watts. These projects would also provide job opportunities for the 1,773 land oustees and indirect employment opportunities for hundreds of more from the local populace, he added.

Mr Goyal further said that the fourth Skill Development Centre in the region set up in Nagpur has also been launched along with Kamptee mine to Kanhan township Jal-Sahyog Project which is a novel initiative to meet 24x7 drinking water requirement through gainful utilization of mine water discharge in Nagpur area. In addition, an Eco-Park at Saoner was also inaugurated which is to be launched from November 01. It would involve Eco-Mine tours from the Zero Mile stone in Nagpur- Adasa Temple-Saoner Mine-Eco Park- Gondegaon Mine and return journey to Nagpur.

The Minister also informed about the two new decisions taken in consultation with the Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Mr Nitin Gadkari and Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mr Hansraj Ahir along with the Guardian Minister of the district Mr Chandrashekhar Bawankule on this occasion.