Ministry of Coal Hosts Star Rating Award Ceremony in Mumbai, Honours Outstanding Coal & Lignite Mines

The Ministry of Coal today organized the Star Rating Award Ceremony in Mumbai to honour coal and lignite mines for outstanding achievements in safety, environmental sustainability, and operational excellence.

Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy presented the awards in the presence of Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey and Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt. On the occasion, the Ministry also launched the newly designed CCO Website and an Interactive Dashboard to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accessibility of sectoral information.

The event also witnessed the unveiling of two key frameworks:

• L.I.V.E.S – a practitioner’s guide for responsible and sustainable mine closures aligned with global standards.

• ARTHA – a Green Financing Framework to channel investments into reclaimed and eco-friendly mining projects.

Awards were also given to winners of the Hackathon on Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) and R&D initiatives, underscoring the Ministry’s focus on innovation in clean technologies.

In his keynote address, G. Kishan Reddy commended the award-winning mines for ensuring energy security while adhering to global standards of safety and sustainability. He urged the coal sector to embrace innovation, accelerate coal gasification, adopt clean technologies, and move towards self-reliance in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat. He emphasized that mining must be community-centric, ensuring socio-economic development, large-scale afforestation, and progressive mine closures.

MoS Satish Chandra Dubey stressed that responsible mining should balance production efficiency with environmental protection, scientific mine closure, and welfare of project-affected families. He highlighted the Star Rating Policy as a benchmark for safety, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic progress in coal-bearing regions.

Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt lauded India’s achievement of crossing one billion tonnes of coal production and supply last year. He said the Star Rating framework serves as a catalyst for continuous improvement and alignment with global best practices.

The ceremony concluded with a cultural performance by specially abled children, whose inspiring presentation highlighted the spirit of inclusivity and determination.