Last year, an acute shortage of coal had virtually paralysed private power plants and state-run units while the nation stared at an energy crisis. Coal India, the government-patronised behemoth, was partly to be blamed for the situation. At that point, it was clear that India’s growing energy needs could only be met with radical reforms in the coal sector. Six months since the crisis, the Union Cabinet has decided to open up the coal sector to commercial mining by private entities. As the coal sector opens up, “with no restriction on the sale and/or utilization of coal from the coal mine”, foreign companies will find the deals lucrative.

Source: dna February 22, 2018 02:15 UTC