Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday asked Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy to clear the state's coal dues, which amount to Rs 1.36 lakh crore.
Reddy assured Soren that the central government would take action to pay the outstanding dues, according to an official statement.
A meeting was held on Thursday with senior officials from the state government, the coal ministry, and Coal India Ltd, attended by both Soren and Reddy.
During the meeting, the Jharkhand government presented details of the unpaid mineral royalty payments. The Union coal minister instructed officials to work with the state government to verify the claims.
Soren emphasised that both the central and state governments need to cooperate to better manage coal mining, production, transportation, land acquisition, and compensation.
The CM also requested that the land where mining operations have finished should be returned to the Jharkhand government.
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Soren pointed out that many coal projects in the state have completed mining, but the land is either abandoned by coal companies or not being used correctly. This has led to illegal mining in some areas.
Additionally, he stressed the importance of reducing the environmental damage caused by mining activities.
Soren proposed that coal companies open permanent training centers, promote mining tourism, and consider moving the headquarters of Coal India to Jharkhand from West Bengal.
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