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.
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 monthly electricity bills of the majority of domestic consumers in Delhi -- who use more than 200 units and up to 600 units -- will be hiked by up to Rs 265 due to an increase in the power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) levied by discoms in the city, officials said on Monday.
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.
He is known for his paperless style of working.
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.
Growth of eight key infrastructure sectors rose to 8 per cent in July 2023 compared to 4.8 per cent in the same month last year on expansion in production of coal, crude oil, and natural gas, according to the official data released on Thursday. Production of steel, cement and electricity also grew in July, the data showed.
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.
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 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.
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 government has agreed to remove coal from the list of essential commodities in the Essential Commodities Act, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.
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.
Besides the jail term, the special court also imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on Koda and Rs one lakh on Gupta.
Of these 36 coal blocks, one mine will be given to the steel sector while the rest will be given to the power sector.
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.
Special court was that Manmohan Singh took the "ultimate decision" as the then coal minister in allocation of the blocks.
Ministry seeks more active role by state governments to address issues.
The Cabinet may on Thursday take a decision on the draft Bill for setting up the coal regulatory authority.
Jindal Power bagged 2 coal mines in Chhattisgarh.
The court issued notice to the ministry and directed it to file its response in two days.
The Prime Minister's Office has asked the Coal Ministry to monitor closely the process of allotment and auction of coal mines to ensure that there is no disruption in the production of dry fuel.
Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval, who sparked a controversy by telling the Supreme Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation status report on Coalgate was not shared with the government, resigned on Tuesday from his post, the first head to roll on the issue.
Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval, who sparked a controversy by telling the Supreme Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation status report on Coalgate was not shared with the government, resigned on Tuesday from his post, the first head to roll on the issue.
RINL, whose two coking coal blocks in Jharkhand -- Mahal allocated in 2005 and Tenughat-Jhirki allocated in 2008 -- were de-allocated by the Coal Ministry at the beginning of this month, had earlier requested permission to surrender these blocks in lieu of two alternative blocks in the region.
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