Hyderabad, June 21 : The Ministry of Coal on Friday put up 67 coal mines for auction across eight states, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana.

Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, launched the 10th tranche of commercial coal mine auctions in Hyderabad. The tranche includes mines that are both fully explored and partially explored and three coking coal mines.

The Ministry of Coal has taken a series of reform measures to ensure that the coal sector grows at a rapid pace and meets the country's energy needs.

For the 10th tranche also, mines falling under protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, critical habitats, having forest cover greater than 40 per cent, or heavily built-up areas have been excluded.

The block boundaries of some of the coal mines where there was presence of dense habitation, high green cover, or critical infrastructure have been revised to improve the attractiveness of the coal mines.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Reddy emphasised the critical role of coal as the lifeline for all industries and its pivotal contribution to achieving a $5 trillion economy.

He stressed that all coal entrepreneurs should collaborate towards the nation's development and align with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making India 'Aatmanirbhar' in coal by making collective efforts and reducing the dependency on coal imports.

He reiterated the importance of enhancing domestic coal production for India's economic growth.

"It is crucial to work towards advancing in the coal sector and our efforts today will make the future brighter," he said.

It was also informed that the revenue generated from the auctioned coal blocks will go to the respective state governments.

In his keynote address, Secretary in the Coal Ministry, Amrit Lal Meena, placed significant emphasis on enhancing coal production to meet the rising energy demands and underscored that the increase in production must not compromise the safety of workers, stressing the adoption of global best practices to ensure a secure working environment.

Maintaining high standards of transparency is also a focal point, with an emphasis on adhering to stringent environment sustainability measures to mitigate the impact of coal mining on the ecosystem, he said.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, M Nagaraju, highlighted the need to explore more coal blocks as there is a surging demand for coal. He stressed that leveraging private investment and expertise is crucial for meeting the growing energy needs and ensuring a steady supply of coal to various industries.

The commencement of the sale of tender documents started on Friday. Details of the mines, auction terms, timelines, etc., can be accessed on the MSTC auction platform and the website of the Ministry of Coal.

The auction will be held online through a transparent two-stage process, based on percentage revenue share.

/IANS