Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey chaired a review meeting of Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited in Ranchi on May 14 to assess the organisation’s performance and future roadmap in coal and mineral exploration.
The meeting was attended by CMPDIL Chairman-cum-Managing Director Shri Chaudhari Shivraj Singh, Central Coalfields Limited CMD Shri Nilendu Kumar Singh, and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited CMD Shri I.D. Narayan, along with senior officials from CMPDIL, CCL and MECL.
During the review, CMPDIL presented its performance in key operational areas, including exploration activities, report preparation, capital expenditure, research and development projects, CSR initiatives, and solar projects undertaken during 2025-26. Targets for the financial year 2026-27 were also discussed.
The Minister appreciated CMPDIL’s performance and stressed the importance of adopting clean coal technologies and accelerating the exploration of critical minerals to strengthen the country’s energy and economic security. He also directed the management to simplify procurement procedures, improve transparency and enhance market outreach to ensure wider bidder participation and avoid project delays.
Highlighting the need for sustainable mine closure practices, Shri Dubey said reclaimed mining areas should be transformed into long-term socio-economic assets for local communities. He suggested promoting cultivation of fox nuts (makhana) and fisheries in such areas under the Government’s One District One Product initiative to generate sustainable livelihoods.
During the meeting, CMPDIL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MECL to strengthen cooperation in coal and mineral exploration for both energy and non-energy minerals. The agreement was signed in the presence of the Minister.
According to officials, the collaboration between the two exploration agencies is expected to strengthen the national inventory of coal and minerals and support the development of new mining projects across the country.
The Ministry said the initiative aligns with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and is aimed at promoting self-reliance in India’s mineral sector while enhancing the country’s mineral resource base.
