India's coal ministry projects ₹47,500 cr yearly revenue and 490,000 jobs from 147 auctioned mines

The Coal ministry reported that the 147 commercial coal mines auctioned across nine Indian states since 2020 are expected to generate about ₹47,500 crore in yearly revenue and attract ₹55,000 crore in capital investment, creating roughly 490,000 jobs. Revenue from these blocks reached ₹3,090 crore in the 2025-26 financial year, driven by a revenue-sharing framework that combines royalty, premium, District Mineral Foundation contributions, National Mineral Exploration Trust funds and GST, which has almost tripled state coal receipts in a decade.

The recent Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2026 establishes a uniform fiscal regime, barring states from levying additional taxes on mineral assets except as prescribed by the centre. Since the Supreme Court cancelled 204 coal blocks in 2014, allocations have shifted to a transparent, rule-based auction system introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2020. Bidding occurs online via the MSTC platform, with no end-use restrictions and full foreign-direct investment allowed. To date, 44 new companies and several Coal India subsidiaries have secured blocks, boosting commercial coal output from 12.55 million tonnes in 2023-24 to 23.51 million tonnes in 2024-25, while total captive and commercial production reached about 210 million tonnes in FY 2025-26.