Overseas firms may develop some of the identified Coal India (CIL) projects, a move that may help augment the dry fuel's output, Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said.
"For augmentation of coal production in the country, few projects of CIL have been identified for operation under Mine Developer cum Operator route, where international as well as domestic operator may take part, where mining charges will be paid to the bidder duly discovered through bidding process," Goyal said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
The statement comes at a time when the demand supply gap of coal is widening in the country and has touched 171 million tonnes (MT) during the last fiscal.
"As per...The Coal Mines Nationalisation Act, 1973, a private company can carry on coal mining operation for specified end use (captive use) only and the coal so mines is not allowed for sale," the minister said.
In a separate reply, he said the government had approved 15 projects for Coal India for the five-year plan period of 2012-2017.
Coal India, which accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal production, produced 462 MT in the last fiscal -- missing the target of 482 MT.
