Summary:
It is therefore shocking to learn that WCL is in the throes of becoming a ‘sick industry’ with mounting losses of thousands of crores. While coal imports have risen by nearly 14% in 2017-18 after dropping initially, Coal India (CIL) is struggling to step up production. Around 76% of India’s power generation is coal/ lignite based and Coal will remain India’s main energy source for the next three decades. The government had initially targeted 660 million tonnes of coal production target for CIL in 2017-18 but later slashed it to 600 million tonnes. Our Power Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, has set very ambitious targets for Coal Production before Coal India Limited, of which WCL is a susbsidiary..