Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal Chairman and BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Monday emphasized that coal gasification projects are being accelerated to strengthen India's energy security while advancing cleaner energy goals. This comes amid global uncertainties, including the ongoing West Asia crisis, which underscore the importance of domestic energy resources.
Government's Rs 37,500 Crore Incentive Package
Speaking with ANI after a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Thakur stated that the government is focusing on speeding up approvals and implementation of coal gasification projects, backed by a Rs 37,500 crore incentive package. "The government has approved Rs 37,500 crore so that coal gasification projects can be implemented quickly and incentives can be provided wherever required. Both the private and public sectors will work on it," Thakur said.
He noted that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has taken significant decisions to accelerate clearances for such projects. "The Environment Ministry has taken very big decisions so that coal gasification can be done quickly, permissions can be obtained faster, and coal can be made available to us in the form of clean energy," he added.
Balancing Energy Security and Climate Commitments
Responding to a question on whether the West Asia crisis has increased the importance of coal for India, given the country's dependence on imported oil, Thakur stressed the need to balance energy security with climate commitments. "While we have to ensure the country's energy security, we also have to meet the target of net zero by 2070. India's commitment towards the environment will always remain and we will fulfil the commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at both national and international forums," he said.
Thakur noted that renewable energy already accounts for nearly half of India's energy capacity and continues to expand. "If you look at renewable energy, we have reached almost 50 per cent and we are continuously increasing it. But it is also true that coal is available in very large quantities in India and there is a huge requirement for power generation," he explained.
Review of Coal Auction and Allocation Processes
The committee meeting also reviewed coal auction and allocation processes, measures to improve energy security, and steps required to achieve the vision of a developed India by 2047. According to Thakur, discussions focused on streamlining coordination among the coal, environment, and power ministries, reducing approval timelines, and improving logistics for coal transportation and power generation.
Highlighting progress in environmental clearances, Thakur said the approval period has been significantly reduced. "Where environmental clearances earlier used to take around 182 days, continuous meetings and reforms have brought it down to nearly 80 days," he said.
Thakur added that India has already achieved a record coal production of one billion tonnes annually and that efforts are underway to further improve efficiency in approvals, production, and supply chains.
