A general view of the open cast coal field at Topa coal mine in the Ramgarh district in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, India, February 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

The coal production from captive and commercial mines has increased 27.06% year-on-year to 126.8 million tonnes (MT) in the April-February this fiscal.

The coal dispatch from the captive and commercial mines in the first eleven months of the current financial year also rose 29.14% to 128.88 MT over the corresponding period of previous fiscal, the coal ministry said in a statement.

The total coal production and dispatch in February was 14.85 MT and 12.95 MT, registering an increase of 37% and 33%, respectively. In the year-ago period, The total coal production and dispatch stood at 10.85 MT and 9.72 MT, respectively.

As of February 29, 2024, the total number of producing mines was 54, with 35 allocated to the power sector, 11 allocated to the non-regulated sector, and 8 for the sale of coal.

Of the 91 mines awarded under commercial coal auctions, seven blocks have already started production.