The Government of India has notified Coking Coal as a Critical and Strategic Mineral under the MMDR Act, 1957 (Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act).
The notification places coking coal in Part D of the First Schedule, giving it high priority for mining and development.
This move aims to reduce India’s 95% import dependence on coking coal used in steel production.
Coking coal, also called Metallurgical Coal, is essential for making steel and cannot be replaced by thermal coal.
The decision supports the National Steel Policy target of 300 million tonnes of steel production by 2030.
India has large coking coal reserves mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, but it depends on imports due to quality issues.