Importance of coal mining towards making India a developed nation - issues and challenges

摘要

Energy holds the key for world power equilibrium. Fortunately our country is well balanced in fossil fuels, radioactive fuels and other renewable form of energy. First step towards jumping into developed category nation is eradication of poverty. There is no example of coming up like our country considering last 500 years of subjugation. Fossil fuel will continue to play important role in coming century world over and India is placed on a comfortable position. We hope to achieve a breakthrough in atomic power generation by 2020 with our vast deposit of monazite. The Government of India has reversed its earlier policy and thrown open 134 blocks of coal with gross reserves of over 30,000 million tonne of coal for private sector participation. In the present 5 year plan only 6 m.t. could be produced out of projected 35 m.t. After agriculture and forestry, mineral sector is the biggest sector for employment generation, wealth creation and contribution to national GDP. Indian human resources are one of the best in this world with 290 universities, 1500 research institution etc. producing 300,000 PG's 200,000 engineers, 9000 doctors annually. What is considered as demographic burden may prove as demographic boon as 820 million people will be in the active age of 15-50 years by 2015.During 1990 economy grew at an average rate of 6 percent, at present it is around 8 percent and the forecast is that it will continue to grow in this range. Goldman Sach's report published in 2003 predict India to be the third largest economy by 2030 and GDP will cross 27 trillion US dollars by 2050, Deutshe Bank states that India should become number 3 as early as 2020. At Kearny's global index FDI acceptability for the year 2004 places India at No.3 after China and US. We have 23 stock exchanges with 9000 listed companies. 100 out of the fortune 500 multinational have established R&D centre in India. More than 200 Macs outsource from India. Indians joining multi-national mining companies and Indian company participating in mineral development abroad. The under developed and developing countries prefer Indian academic and research institutions due to low cost, policy of technology transfer and our credibility on international front. Several NGOs play proactive role against mining activity on the basis of environment and other related issues affecting our economical growth, some of them are sponsored by outside agencies. Ocasionally, we notice information in print media about India's position at bottom on certain issues like corruption, social harmony, environmental pollution, investment scenario etc. Nevertheless these issues are sponsored ones to undermine our progress. We must not forget that employment is the only biggest pollution at the moment. Adopt best mining practice in development of a mineral deposit not as a mine but as a sustainable economical unit. Let us not look to the west but create a situation such that they come forward to us, Noble laureate Yousuf Khan and his Grammeen Bank is a glorious example of trusteeship of Gandhi.