The Coal Ministry has set up an inter-Ministerial group (IMG) to look into, and scrutinise applications for coal blocks from government companies.
The 14-member IMG will function under the leadership of Coal Secretary. It will have representatives from Power, Steel, Law & Justice and Planning Commission. “An Inter-Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Coal)... is constituted with the approval of competent authority,’’ Coal Ministry said in a formal notification. The panel shall co-opt the representatives of the concerned state governments where the coal block and the end-use plant would be located, it added.
“The IMG shall consider the applications received from the government companies for allocation of coal blocks on the basis of pre-determined criteria and make recommendations after making comparative evaluation of the applications received,” the Ministry said.
Eligibility criteria
The panel shall also approve the proforma for inviting applications and recommend eligibility criteria and parameters for evaluation of the applications in terms of weightage decided prior to inviting the applications by the government. The Coal Ministry has identified 54 new coal mines for allocation but is unlikely to go ahead with auctioning.
