ABSTRACT
Coal as a source of energy to meet India’s growing need gained new importance only in the early 1970s, when oil prices in the world market witnessed a steep increase. It was around that time that the coal industry was nationalised, giving birth to Coal India Limited (CIL) with its subsidiaries, Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). CIL is now a large public sector undertaking of the Government of India, producing nearly 300 million tonnes of coal annually. With 650,000 employees, CIL operates about 520 coal mines scattered in different parts of the country, mainly in Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
