After the 2G spectrum scam, the focus is now on the coal scam which has cost the exchequer a whopping Rs 1.86 lakh crore.
The CAG has stated that the government's decision to not auction 194 coal blocks between 2004 and 2011 has resulted in such a huge loss.
But amidst the storm that has rocked the nation, thousands of workers continue to work in coal mines quite oblivious of the scams and dangers that surround them...
Coal mining has been a very dangerous activity. In the US alone, more than 100,000 coal miners were killed in accidents over the past century.
Even as companies make a windfall from coal, workers struggle in harsh conditions to make a living...
How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters.
A woman labourer protects herself from sun as she holds her child at a coal yard on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters.
A labourer smokes after loading coal onto trucks at a coal yard near Chiwaki railway station in Allahabad.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters.
A labourer drinks water as he takes a break from loading coal onto trucks at a coal yard near Chiwaki railway station in Allahabad.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters.
A labourer works at the Mahanadi coal fields at Dera, near Talcher town in Orissa.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters.
A worker opens the entry gate of an underground coal mine in the Mahanadi coal fields at Dera, near Talcher town in Orissa.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
A labourer loads coal onto a truck at a coal yard on the outskirts of Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
Labourers load coal onto trucks at a coal yard on the outskirts of Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
A labourer smokes a bidi, a local cigarette hand-rolled with tobacco leaf, during a break at a coal yard on the outskirts of Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
A female labourer looks on as she takes a break at a coal yard on the outskirts of Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
Labourers load coal onto trucks at Bari Brahamina, on the outskirts of Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
Labourers load coal on trucks at Bari Brahamina on the outskirts of Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Jayanta Dey/Reuters.
A worker carries coal in baskets at a wholesale coal shop on the outskirts of Agartala, capital of Tripura.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters.
A worker uses a loader to assemble the coal at a yard in Ahmedabad.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Parivartan Sharma/Reuters.
A labourer smokes a bidi, a local cigarette hand-rolled with leaf tobacco, as he takes rest between unloading coal from a supply truck in Noida.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
A worker walks with a shovel during a lunch break at a coal yard in Jammu.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters.
A labourer lays coal balls out to dry at a factory in Kolkata.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters.
A labourer works at a wholesale coal shop in Kolkata.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters.
Labourers work in a railway coal yard on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
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How coal mine workers struggle to make a living
Labourers work at a coal yard on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
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