India needs about 885 million tons of coal per year

In India, an annual assessment of the need for coal for the country's industry is carried out. For the 2016-17 fiscal year, coal demand was estimated at 884.87 million tonnes, the Minister of Coal Industry said.

Steps taken by the government to increase domestic production include efforts to protect the environment, regulate land use and coordinate with railways to move coal, he said. The roadmap has been prepared by Coal India (KCC) to significantly boost coal production in 2019-20.

The program includes the addition of capacity for new projects, the use of mass production technologies and the identification of existing ongoing projects with growth potential The minister said that the total volume of coal mined in the country during 2015-16 was 639.23 million tons. The government envisions further investment in mines to increase production.