(a) whether the Union Government has decided to allow
State Public Sector Undertakings to take up coal mining
outside their state boundaries and sell it in the open
market anywhere;
(b) if so, whether the States having no substantial coal
reserves can actually set up their own coal reserves
producing entities and start operation in coal rich
states such as Andhra Pradesh; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)
(a) to (c) : In 1979 the Union Government took a
decision that State Government Undertakings can carryout
coal mining operations of non-coking coal in opencast
mines in isolated small pockets. This policy was
further liberalised in 2001 by allowing the State
Government Undertakings to mine coal without the
existing restriction of working the non-coking reserve
by opencast method in isolated small pockets alone.
Coal mining operations can be carried out by a State
Government Undertaking authorised to do coal mining under
its Memorandum and Articles of Association, any where in
the country and the coal so extracted can be sold in the
open market.