Between 2007-08 and 2017-18, the number of countries they imported steam coal from has increased from six to 12.
With the case of missing files into the coal block allocation turning murkier, the CBI is mulling filing FIR on the issue for which officials of the agency and the coal ministry are likely to meet soon.
Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday registered two enquiries to look into the issue of missing files on coal block allocations from the Coal Ministry.
The government on Friday said the auction of explored coal blocks may take place either by December or the beginning of the next year.
Koda, Basu and two accused public servants conspired to favour VISUL in the coal block allocation, the agency alleged.
While there are some new faces in the cabinet, leaders such as BJP president JP Nadda and Jual Oram have returned as ministers.
These three blocks figure in the 'Schedule I' list of those coal mines, which are being auctioned afresh
Five Parliamentarians from Karnataka including Janata Dal-Secular leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Pralhad Joshi, who were part of the previous Cabinet, on Sunday took oath in the new National Democratic Alliance Council of Ministers headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Former Coal Secretary H C Gupta, who resigned as member of Competition Commission of India, was on Thursday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with coal blocks allocation from 2006 to 2009 during his tenure.
Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal is credited with fast-tracking many issues that are caught in red-tape. The minister says the environment ministry's controversial policy barring mining in forest areas has left him troubled.
K Natwar Singh wore many hats as he straddled the worlds of diplomacy, politics and writing but what remained consistent across decades was his sharp-wit and plainspeaking.
CAG audit is likely to be completed in six months.
The blocks are Kunur mine in West Bengal, Morga South A, Morga South B, Meguli mines and Phutamera in Chhattisgarh, Dahegaon Dhapewada and Kalambi Kalmeshwar blocks in Maharashtra, Karanpura Mahuamilan mine in Jharkhand.
To ensure smooth allocation of 204 cancelled coal blocks, the government has set up a high-level inter-ministerial panel that would provide advise on policy issues and interact with the industry.
The government will now auction 23 mines, instead of 24
The Coal Ministry has issued show-cause to eight firms including Hindalco Industries and Mahanadi Coalfields, and sought explanation from five firms for delays in commencing production from mines allocated to them.
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RPG Industries, Hindalco, SAIL, Jindal Steel, Monnet Ispat, GVK Power and Jaiprakash Associates among companies summoned for review.
The coal-scam has taken an important turn as the Central Bureau of Investigation has charge-sheeted former bureaucrat P C Parakh and industrialist Kumarmangalam Birla. The next big thing is to see that if the coal-blocks allotted, fraudulently, are cancelled or not either by Supreme Court or by the government as pre-emptive action.
On a day he was promoted to the Cabinet rank, Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal promised bringing about revolutionary changes in his ministry aimed at fast-tracking the coal reforms process.
Adani Power, part of the Adani group, plans to add close to 6 gigawatts (Gw) of new power assets in the next five years, according to an investor presentation by the company. That is clearly meant to ride on India's burgeoning power demand. But there is another side to it: All of this new capacity is expected to be thermal power, or power produced from coal.
He is known for his paperless style of working.
Initiating the process of allocation of coal mines, the government on Monday invited proposals from PSUs for alloting 17 blocks to them, mostly for captive power plants.
There are allegations that the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh govt is putting pressure on South Eastern Coalfields to not renew the contract with Sainik Mining whose promoter Rudra Sen Sindhu is the son-in-law of the late Sahib Singh Varma, a BJP leader and former chief minister of Delhi.
Former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, an accused in Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block allocation scam case, on Tuesday said that decisions to allocate coal blocks were taken by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was also heading the coal ministry at that time.
The government has agreed to remove coal from the list of essential commodities in the Essential Commodities Act, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.
The coal ministry submitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday a detailed report on the missing files pertaining to coal block allocations, said an official.
Latching on to comments by former Coal Secretary P C Parakh, the opposition on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he cannot escape responsibility in the controversial allocations as held the charge of the Coal Ministry at that time.
The Central Bureua of Investigation sought a maximum of seven years imprisonment for the five convicted persons and imposition of heavy fine on the private firm.
Under attack for several files pertaining to coal block allocations going missing, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said that he had asked officials to locate the missing papers by Tuesday and hinted the Central Bureau of Investigation may be asked to look into the case after that.
The coal ministry is likely to send the final list of files pertaining to coal blocks allocation which could not be located by Friday.
Of these 36 coal blocks, one mine will be given to the steel sector while the rest will be given to the power sector.
Besides the jail term, the special court also imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on Koda and Rs one lakh on Gupta.
In one of the first steps towards coal block re-allocation, the government has finalised the methodology to calculate coal price for e-auction and a Cabinet proposal on this is likely to be floated in a fortnight.
The Central Bureau of Investigation could question Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of coal block to Hindalco as he had written a letter to the Coal Ministry after application of the Aditya Birla company was rejected in 2005.
The CMOAI had earlier called for a three-day strike that began on Thursday.
The government on Friday issued fresh show cause notices to prior allottees of coal blocks like JSPL, JSW and Tata Steel, asking reasons behind delays in mines development and warned of deduction in their bank guarantees if they failed to furnish replies.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is said to have been examined by Central Bureau of Investigation in the coal block allocation case relating to Hindalco but neither he nor the agency was willing to confirm it.
The allocations followed two stages.
The government may offload a maximum of 10 per cent of its stake in the state-run firm. Currently, its holdings in CIL stands at 100 per cent.
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