Focus on reducing coal imports: Kishan Reddy

Hyderabad: Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy stressed that the country should achieve self-reliance in the coal sector instead of depending on coal imports, and efforts should be made to increase domestic production. On Friday, the Union Minister visited the central office of CIL (Coal India Limited) in Kolkata and addressed a meeting with the employees and senior officials. He said that CIL is playing a vital role in India's making progress in the coal sector.

Appreciating the role played by CIL, Kishan Reddy asked the staff to work harder in the coming days to achieve the goals set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Stressing the adoption of modern technology, he suggested that while identifying new blocks for domestic needs, special attention should be paid to environmental protection while undertaking coal production.

Later, the Union Minister participated in the review meeting held at the central office of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), the only company working in copper exploration in the country, and he asked to work on increasing production to meet domestic needs in the coming days.

Participating in the review meeting held at the GSI office, he emphasised the progress made by the organization and asked to set new goals.

Inaugurating the National Landslide Forecasting Centre established under the auspices of GSI, he said that different parts of the country, particularly in the hilly areas, are witnessing landslides. The NLFC works in such a way as to identify these accidents in advance to reduce their severity.

The working of the NLF centres has already been tested experimentally in several states and showed positive results. Against this backdrop, Kishan Reddy advised the officers to move forward by using modern technology in the days to come. Later, the Union Minister left for Hyderabad from Kolkata. He will inaugurate the Critical Mineral Hackathon and Road Show in the city on Saturday.