NEW DELHI: India has transformed the philosophy of mine closure, viewing it not as the end of mining but as the beginning of new opportunities for people, communities and sustainable development, according to the government.

 

Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, described scientific mine closure as a national priority and a key pillar of the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, adding that India has scientifically closed 42 coal mines, including 33 in the last year alone, and has set an ambitious target of scientifically closing 147 more mines over the next two to three years.

 

He highlighted that the Ministry has built a comprehensive ecosystem for mine closure through the RECLAIM Framework, the SUVIKALP digital platform, the ARTHA Framework, and District Collector-led Mine Closure Advisory Committees, while the Mine Closure Guidelines, 2025 place people and sustainability at the heart of mine closure.

 

For the first time, 25 per cent of the approved mine closure cost has been earmarked for community development, creating an investment potential of nearly Rs 10,000 crore over the next decade, the minister informed during the launch of ‘AAROH: Annual Report on Mine Closure’ here.

 

Reddy also announced that the government has created a dedicated corpus of over $5 billion (approximately Rs 40,000 crore) for scientific mine closure and progressive mine closure, demonstrating its long-term commitment to environmentally responsible mining, ecological restoration and the socio-economic development of mining-affected regions.

 

The minister said that reclaimed mine lands across the country are being repurposed for renewable energy, eco-tourism, water conservation, agriculture, community infrastructure and sustainable livelihood generation.

 

Referring to global best practices, particularly Germany's experience in mine closure and Just Transition, he said the implementation agreement between the Ministry of Coal and GIZ would combine Germany's expertise with India's scale, policy leadership and implementation capacity to create an Indian model of mine closure that integrates environmental protection, technological innovation, community participation and economic opportunity.

 

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh lauded the Ministry of Coal for its progressive policies on scientific mine closure, stating that the successful closure of 42 coal mines demonstrates how degraded mine lands can be transformed into productive assets through ecological restoration, afforestation, water conservation, renewable energy and other sustainable community-centric initiatives.