Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), one of the eight subsidiaries of Coal India Limited, has achieved a feat at the Ministry of Coal’s Star Rating Awards, with nine of its coal mines being conferred the prestigious 5-Star Rating for the year 2023–24, officials said on Thursday.
The Star Ratings are awarded by the Centre on a scale of 1 to 5, evaluating each mine’s achievements holistically. Star ratings are an indicator of mine development on various fronts, including operational excellence, safety standards, environmental sustainability, adoption of modern technologies, and economic performance.
This includes two underground mines (Hirakhand-Bundia and Orient Colliery Mine Nos. 1&2), and six opencast mines (Kulda, Ananta, Samleshwari, Bhubaneswari, Lajkura, Belpahar, and Gopalji-Kaniha Expansion project).
The awards were presented by G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Coal & Mines, along with Satish Chandra Dubey, Minister of State for Coal & Mines, and Vikram Dev Dutt, Secretary to the Ministry of Coal, at a ceremony held in Mumbai.
MCL’s Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Uday Anant Kaole, and Director (Finance), A K Behura, received the awards along with the Area General Managers of the respective mines.
This recognition is MCL’s testament to sustainable and responsible mining, innovation, and commitment to ensuring energy security to the nation, the officials added.