Spotlight

New Delhi, 19 December 2007

INDIA WORLD’S THIRD LARGEST COAL PRODUCER

NEW DELHI, January 21 (INFA): Coal India Ltd. (CIL) is the single largest coal providing company in the world.  It produces about 84 per cent of the production in India.

During the last financial year for which latest figures are available, the CIL earned a profit of Rs.86.77 billion with a gross turn-over of Rs.340 billion. The company has proposed to produce 363.80 million tonnes of coal during the current financial year (2006-07).

With its mining operations spread across the country, Coal India operates through its seven subsidiaries and one mine planning and design institute with 79 areas and 465 mines (as on 1-04-2006) and 284 underground mines.

There are 144 opencast mines and 37 mixed mines and it owns 19 coal washeries.  There are 200 other establishments like workshops, hospitals and captive power plants.

The company employs 4,44,488 manpower (as on 1.11.06). This makes is the largest corporate employer in India.

The mission of the company is to produce the planned quantity of coal efficiently and economically with due regard to safety, conservation and quality.  Its vision is to be the most dominant energy supplier in India with best practices from mine to market.

Since the Nationalization, the Coal industry had traversed a path of unwavering progress.  The CIL is the apex body with seven wholly owned coal producing subsidiary companies and one consultancy company encompassing the whole gamut of coal extraction, identification of coal reserves, detailed exploration followed by projectisation, design and implementation and optimizing operations in its mines. ---INFA

STRENGTHENING ENERGY SECTOR

NEW DELHI, January (INFA): Sustained efforts are being undertaken by the Union Government to strengthen the energy sector with petroleum & natural gas at the forefront of the policy initiatives.  The India Hydrocarbon Vision-2005’ laid down the framework for this, with a view to achieving country’s long-term energy security.

The policy has triggered a more definitive paradigm shift towards free market and competition, with increasing private sector and overseas participation in all important segments of our hydrocarbon sector.

Ever more areas and opportunities for investment, technology and entrepreneurship are now open for the global players as well as for India’s own public and private sectors. Bulk of the oil & gas potential of the India basins still remain locked up.

The resounding success of these policy measures was already evident in the interest and confidence shown by the variety and numbers of participation in our recent new exploration licensing round.---INFA