New Delhi: India should split the seven units of state-controlled Coal India Ltd into independent companies to make it more competitive, government’s policy thinktank NITI Aayog said on Tuesday in a draft of a new energy policy. Fresh coal production should come from private sector mines, the government think-tank NITI Aayog said, adding that the move called for reforms in allocating coal blocks to independent companies specialized in coal mining. Coal India was not available for comment after its regular business hours. “We are opposing the recommendations made by NITI Aayog,” Baij Nath Rai, president of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, told Reuters by telephone. Coal India, the country’s second-biggest employer, is often criticized for being bloated and inefficient.

Source: Mint June 27, 2017 16:00 UTC