Invisible inputs, visible risks
Empires were once forged in iron and fuelled by coal; today, they may fracture over elements most people cannot spell.
Empires were once forged in iron and fuelled by coal; today, they may fracture over elements most people cannot spell.
India’s core industrial activity contracted in March 2026, with the combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) falling 0.4 per cent year-on-year compared to March 2025. This marked the weakest performance in nearly two years.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its aftermath have led to a shortage of cooking gas in India. Alongside rising prices of both household and commercial LPG, bookings are now being accepted only after a 25-day gap.
After coal, sand and stone, a fresh case of illegal soil excavation and trade has surfaced in West Burdwan district following a complaint filed over the unauthorised extraction of soil and its use in brick kilns.
On a cumulative basis, the core sector expanded by 2.6 per cent during April to December 2025-26 compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, reflecting moderate overall growth amid mixed sectoral trends.
In April, the coal production from captive and commercial mines stood at 14.01 million tonnes (MT), while coal dispatch was recorded at 16.81 MT, reflecting a robust start to FY 2025–26.
The overall coal production in India during April reached 81.57 million tonnes (MT), marking an increase of 3.63 per cent over the 78.71 MT produced in the corresponding period of the previous year, the government said on Thursday.
Kishan Reddy, who is also the BJP’s Telangana unit President, along with party MPs, MLAs and other leaders, staged the protest at Ambedkar statue near Tank Bund in the heart of the city.
Adani Ports and SEZ officially announced that it has acquired a coal export terminal in Australia in a $2.4-billion non-cash deal.
The import of coal in India has dropped marginally by 1.4% to 240.77 million tonnes in the April-February period of FY'25 over the year-ago period. The coal import was 244.27 million tonnes (MT) in the April-February period of FY'24.
