By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Minister of State for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve inaugurated the Iconic Week of Coal Ministry’s Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations here today. Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi, joining the function virtually, said that the great contributions made by men, women and the youth during the freedom struggle of our Nation will be cherished by generations to come. He urged the coal sector to contribute further to the energy sector and Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
Addressing the function, Minister Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve called upon the coal sector to further enhance production so that import can be reduced and the energy security of the Nation can be enhanced. The Minister underscored the need for fulfilling the social responsibility by coal PSUs. Sustainable mining needs to be ensured to protect the environment and the people living nearby coal mines, the Minster added.
Welcoming the dignitaries to the Iconic Week celebrations, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Dr. Anil Kumar Jain reiterated that his Ministry is playing a pivotal role to meet the energy requirements of the Nation. Due to the new international developments, fuel prices including that of coal are increasing globally, he added. As of now, Coal India Ltd (CIL) is meeting the lion’s share of power sector requirement, the Secretary stated. Dr. Jain said that more explorations are required for coking coal production so that imports can be further reduced.
As part of the celebrations, a series of commemorative events and activities will be undertaken by the Ministry that will showcase the best of India’s achievements in the coal sector and also lay down the roadmap for the future. It will also highlight the initiatives and achievements in the field of sustainable mining, reducing carbon footprints and aiming carbon neutrality, import substitution through efficient mining operations, creating positive impact on the socio-economic conditions of the local communities/ rural population in mine areas and the emergence of cutting edge clean coal technologies such as coal bed methane and hydrogen from coal.
Talks by eminent persons on coal and allied sectors, screening of short films by CIL and NLCIL on sustainable mining, pro people initiatives and blood donation camp were some of the highlights of the Iconic Week function. Additional Secretaries Shri Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Shri M. Nagaraju and other senior functionaries of the Ministry of Coal attended the function organized at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre.
