First Mile Projects facilitate seamless movement of coal from the mine to the despatch point along with computerized loading into railway rakes with minimum manual intervention, obliterate traffic congestion and road accidents, and thus mitigate the adverse impact on environment and health around the coal mining projects.

There is no FMC Project implemented /being implemented in Rajasthan.

The all India target of Production of coal for 2023-24 has been fixed 1012.14 Million Tonnes.

The following steps have been taken by the Government to enhance the production to fulfill the domestic coal demand:

1. Opening of new coal mine projects and expansion of existing projects
2. Regular reviews by Ministry of Coal to expedite the development of coal blocks.
3. Enactment of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021 for enabling captive mines owners (other than atomic minerals) to sell up to 50% of their annual mineral (including coal) production in the open market after meeting the requirement of the end use plant linked with the mine in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government on payment of such additional amount.
4. Single Window Clearance portal for the coal sector to speed up the operationalization of coal mines.
5. Project Monitoring Unit for hand-holding of coal block allottees for obtaining various approvals / clearances for early operationalization of coal mines.
6. Auction of coal blocks for commercial mining on revenue sharing mechanism was launched on 18.06.2020. Terms and conditions of commercial coal mining are very liberal with no restriction on utilization of coal, allowing new companies to participate in the bidding process, reduced upfront amount, adjustment of upfront amount against monthly payment, liberal efficiency parameters to encourage flexibility to operationalize the coal mines, transparent bidding process, 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through automatic route and revenue sharing model based on the National Coal Index.
7. Under commercial mining scheme, rebate of 50 % on final offer would be allowed for the quantity of coal produced earlier than scheduled date of production. Also, incentives on coal gasification or liquefaction are granted (rebate of 50 % on final offer) to commence early production.

In addition to above, coal companies have also taken following steps to increase the domestic coal production:

1. Coal India Limited (CIL) has identified and initiated actions for fulfilling all the resources required like Environment Clearance / Forest Clearance, land acquisition, evacuation infrastructures such as mechanised loading through Coal Handling Plant (CHP) / SILO, Rail Projects etc. for enabling projects to contribute to its target as per 1 BT production plan.
2. Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has planned to produce 70 MT by 2023-24 from the present level of 67 MT. Regular liaison is being undertaken for grounding of new projects and operation of existing projects. SCCL has initiated action for developing infrastructure for evacuation of coal like CHPs, Crushers, Mobile Crushers, Pre-weigh-bins etc.

This information was given by Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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 Shri Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Ministry of Labour & Employment launched a G20 report, ‘A Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy’ today in New Delhi in the presence of Shri Amitabh Kant, Sherpa, G20 India, Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Shri Kapil Kapoor, Regional Director for Asia, International Development Research Centre. His Excellency Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega, Ambassador of Brazil to India participated in the panel discussion after the launch. The event also witnessed the presence of Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, and Dr. V. K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog who made important interventions related to agriculture and One Health, respectively.

In a significant collaborative effort, NITI Aayog, in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Global Development Network (GDN), published a report, ‘A Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy’ based on the proceedings of the G20 international conference held in New Delhi on 28-29 July 2023, featuring 40 leading experts from 14 countries across the world.

Addressing the gathering, Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Minister, Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Labour & Employment, extended his congratulations to NITI Aayog for putting together the publication and releasing it at a crucial time when Brazil has just taken over the G20 presidency from India. He further stated, “India has put forth the resolve to make climate action a collaborative process based on common but differentiated responsibilities. A swift, just and equitable transition to renewable energy sources must be underpinned by deep emission cuts and scaled-up finance. India has maintained that climate finance and technology are essential for enabling the Global South to achieve the twin objectives of sustainable and green growth. The countries of the Global South have had little to no contribution to the climate crisis. It is therefore imperative for the developed countries to help them combat climate change. The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration stated that implementing the climate agenda requires several trillion dollars by 2030. At COP28, Hon’ble PM emphasized that the developed world must ensure a steady flow of climate finance that is accessible and affordable.”

Addressing the gathering at the event, Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, stated, “Let me complement NITI Aayog for organizing the international G20 conference in July and now releasing its this publication. Since I actively participated in the July conference, several inputs shared by the experts were incorporated into the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. The Declaration highlighted the urgency and importance of accelerating the pace of global growth, for which free trade is critical as it has lifted vast segments of the population above the poverty line. The World Trade Organisation needs to be revitalized for this purpose.”

Commenting on the significance of the launch of the G20 report, Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, said, “I would say that today was both a closure, but also a fresh start with respect to what this means for NITI Aayog and India. This report is being released to enable the transfer of knowledge that came out of the G20 international conference organized by NITI in July to Brazil so that they can benefit from the ideas in the volume.”

The report launch was followed by a video message from Global Development Network, a brief introduction to the report, and an interactive panel discussion with experts on the issues covered in the volume, moderated by Suman Bery, Hon’ble Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.

The discussions at the event underscored the theme of a just transition as a critical pathway to mitigating climate change, emphasizing its potential positive economic impact for developed and emerging economies. The event was a testament to the commitment of the participating stakeholders to collectively shaping a more sustainable and equitable world.

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