Coal Minister Chairs High-Level Meeting to Set Up Textile Unit in Belgharia Under Jharia Master Plan
Sustainable employment, rehabilitation and technology-driven monitoring form the core agenda of the initiative
In a significant step towards strengthening rehabilitation and livelihood generation under the Jharia Master Plan (JMP), Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to explore the establishment of a textile manufacturing unit in the Belgharia Rehabilitation Area.
The proposed textile industry aims to create sustainable employment and livelihood opportunities for families rehabilitated under the Jharia Master Plan, with a special focus on women and youth.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held with K.V. Sunil, Group President (Corporate Affairs) of Aditya Birla Group, and Pravesh Kocheta, Executive Director of Rajdhani Textiles, on developing a textile manufacturing ecosystem in Belgharia. The initiative is expected to promote local employment, skill development, income generation and industrial growth in the rehabilitation area.
The meeting was attended by Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, Private Secretary to the Coal Minister Pankaj Jain, BCCL CMD Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Aditya Ranjan and other senior government officials. Participants reviewed various aspects of the proposed project and described it as a major milestone towards ensuring long-term social and economic rehabilitation of project-affected families.
The discussions also built upon the findings of a high-level BCCL delegation’s visit to Bengaluru last month. Led by BCCL CMD Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the delegation held extensive discussions with officials of Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Limited (ABLBL) on establishing a textile industry in Belgharia, industry-led skill development, industrial partnerships and employment generation for rehabilitated families. The delegation also visited a textile manufacturing facility of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited to study production systems, quality management, industrial operations and employment generation models. The outcomes of that study tour are expected to guide the future roadmap for the proposed textile project.
Officials emphasized that the proposed textile unit would provide significant opportunities for skill development, self-employment and regular jobs, particularly benefiting women and young people from rehabilitated families. The initiative is expected to strengthen the social and economic objectives of the Jharia Master Plan while promoting inclusive industrial development in the region.
In a parallel development, a separate meeting was held with the National Remote Sensing Centre to discuss the use of satellite technology for the implementation of the Jharia Master Plan. The discussions focused on identifying settled populations through satellite imagery, monitoring vulnerable areas, and strengthening scientific assessment of rehabilitation progress.
The participants agreed that integrating satellite-based monitoring with rehabilitation planning would enable more accurate, data-driven decision-making and improve monitoring of high-risk areas.
The meetings concluded with a consensus that the successful implementation of the Jharia Master Plan will require an integrated approach combining rehabilitation, employment generation, industrial development and the use of advanced technologies to ensure sustainable improvement in the quality of life of project-affected families.
