The event marked the move to open up the sector to private players—100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and no restrictions on the end-use of coal. Till now, miners were not allowed to trade coal in the market. Coal was mined either by the public sector Coal India Limited or by other companies given mining rights for their captive use through allotment or by auction.
Energy security tops the government agenda in post-COVID-19 times. The prime minister stressed that this auction “would bring the coal sector out of many years of lockdown”. India, he said, “has the fourth largest coal reserves in the world, and is the second largest producer. So why can we not become the largest producer in the world?”
To make coal “green”, the government has announced to invest ₹20,000 crore in four projects to convert 100 million tonnes of coal into gas by 2030. The problem is coal reserves are found ensconced in the deepest and densest of forests, where very poor people, mostly tribals, live. This means when the country begins mining new areas for more coal, the casualty will be the pristine forests and the dwellers within.
The question is why does India need to dig more for coal? Are the country’s current coal mines insufficient? Or, does it need to replace domestic coal with imported coal? What is that internal logic that drives this policy?
Esta historia es de la edición August 16, 2020 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 16, 2020 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
