Coal outputs and allocations

Coal outputs and allocations
20. How many private companies that were allotted coal blocks have started production?
By the end of the year 2010-11, only 15 blocks allotted to private companies had commenced
production.15 Among the private companies that were allotted coal blocks between
2006-09, none have commenced production. The Minister of State for Coal, Mr Pratik
Prakashbapu Patil himself admitted this on August 27, 2012 in reply to a question in the
Parliament (see Annexure II). The UPA government's policy of allotting coal blocks to private
players to increase coal production has undoubtedly failed.
Instead, the government while giving away coal blocks for free, has had to import coal at a
higher and higher rate every year. This government has somehow managed to do both - give away
natural resources for free and incur high costs by importing expensive coal from outside. The following
graph shows how the imports of coal have increased drastically under the UPA regime.