Rethinking the coal issue

What the government needs to realise is that coal demand cannot be ignored for at least three decades, if not more

According to the Inventory of India published by the Geological Survey of India, the total assessed geological coal resource in the country is 352,125.97 million tonnes (or 352 billion tonnes), putting it among the nations with the highest reserves.

Yet, the country also frequently faces coal supply crises, which require costly imports to keep its thermal power plants running. News reports suggest we are in the midst of one such crisis right now, and are importing expensive coal — global prices are currently at a high because of the Russia-Ukraine war and other demand and supply related issues — throwing