Jharkhand: Coal Minister announces major benefits for workers, pushes sector reforms

Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, during his Jharkhand visit, announced a series of welfare measures and sectoral reforms aimed at strengthening India’s coal industry and improving the lives of its workers.

Starting September 17, the birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, uniforms will be made mandatory for Coal India officials and workers.

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Reddy said that for the first time since Independence, coal mine employees would have a common uniform to enhance their dignity and pride, and Coal India would provide it.

In a significant decision, the minister announced that the ex-gratia amount for coal mine workers has been increased from ₹15 lakh to ₹25 lakh. In addition, employees will now receive an extra life insurance cover of ₹1 crore, while contract workers will also be entitled to ₹40 lakh of additional insurance coverage. He said these measures, which take effect from 17 September, are intended to instil confidence among workers.

Reddy underlined that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, reforms in the coal sector over the past eleven years have been central to achieving the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and positioning India as the world’s third-largest economy.

He noted that India has, for the first time, achieved the milestone of producing one billion tonnes of coal, with Jharkhand making a significant contribution. He said that coal production was being stepped up to reduce imports and last year alone, coal imports had been cut by ₹60,000 crore. Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand occupy the first three positions in coal production.

The minister also highlighted the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission, with ₹32,000 crore allocated to promote domestic production through both the public and private sectors.

He said that work had already begun on five lithium blocks in Argentina, along with research to secure India’s future needs. Stressing that the government was fully committed to ensuring good governance, ease of doing business and economic growth, he said reforms in the coal sector aimed not only at strengthening the country’s energy security but also at creating employment opportunities for youth and driving overall progress in the economy.