Coal is one of India’s most important and necessary resources. India relies on coal for 55 percent of its electric power and millions use it everyday for cooking and heating. However, there are a number of crucial problems which exist in the industry that can greatly impact its production and access as India’s demand for coal grows. It is one of India’s most abundant resources and with a quarter of the country lacking access to electricity, coal will continue to be in demand. However, weak governance and a lack of transparency has greatly debilitated India’s ability to keep up with this demand. It is difficult to assess India’s coal reserves since the method to do so is outdated. A lack of manpower and technological expertise has obstructed coal consumers such as power plants from accessing the coal supply; applications for coal supplies often loiter for an indefinite amount of time. And as demand increases, the misallocation of coal supplies can create serious shortages. There are also a multitude of social environmental consequences of coal production. Air and water pollution around coal mills are dangerously high and workers often receive little or no protection. Many plants grossly ignore environmental safety measures and are rarely penalized since there is no enforcement of such laws. Lastly, most coal plants are open-cast mines meaning that they require companies to buy up large tracts of land and displacing many agricultural and tribal areas. And because of the inefficient bureaucracy, compensation is slow to materialize and insufficient.

It is a sure bet that India’s demand for coal will increase over the next couple of decades so it is integral that these issues be resolved. It can seek to do so by increasing public involvement in determining policy and decisions. Organization and accountability must also be increased. And while India has taken steps to develop renewable sources of energy, it needs to address the incompetencies of the coal industry.