Goa mining: State got 1,487 cr through e-auctioning, royalty

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today told the state Legislative Assembly that the government had recovered Rs 1,487.91 crore from mine owners in the form of e-auctioning of ore and royalty payments on them.

He was replying on cut motions moved by the opposition on the demand for grants of the Mining department.

“The total loss estimated by the Public Accounts Committee due to illegal mining is Rs 4,000 crore. A panel of chartered accountants has put this figure at Rs 1,508.59 crore. The CAG has pegged it at Rs 1,922 crore,” Parrikar told the House. Read more

Courtesy: Money control

How Southeast Asian Countries Could Drive the Future of Coal Technology

Poised to drive the future of coal power, many Southeast Asian countries are considering new coal plants with high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) technologies, a new report suggests.

According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) December-released World Energy Outlook 2017, Southeast Asia, along with India and other developing economies in Asia, will drive global coal demand. The region’s coal consumption is expected to grow two-and-a-half times to 385 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce) in 2040, even as demand remains sluggish in the rest of the world compared to other fuels. Demand growth will clearly be driven by power plants, which are expected to account for nearly 75% of additional coal use in the coming 25 years, the agency noted.

“Electricity demand grows by 3.7% per year over the period and the region’s power system planners need to mobilise all sources of power generation to keep pace. Coal is a fuel of choice not only because it is markedly cheaper than natural gas in the long term but also because coal projects are in many cases easier to pursue as they do not require capital-intensive fuel delivery infrastructure (unlike gas),” it said. Read more

Courtesy: Power

7 years later, govt refuses to recover Goa’s looted wealth

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s justification for calling the Shah Committee report flawed was that the survey was done using hand held GPS devices and that these devices have an error margin of 300-500 meters. Parrikar claims that the government has used latest technology, and based on this the actual area is not 578 hectares as reported by Shah Commission but a mere 10 hectares.
Interestingly, such discrepancies did not arise in other States which were under investigation by the Shah Commission. Also, the company that did the survey is Turbosketch from Fatorda. This company had also provided similar technical assistance while preparing the Regional Plan 2021, land use plans and has been involved in many other government contracts. Read more

Courtesy: Herald

Environment undermined as coal comes more and more from opencast mines

Environment undermined as coal comes more and more from opencast mines

Shatrughan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan toiling in the dark caverns of a deep coal mine in the 1979 hit Kala Patthar has more or less come to represent life in the Indian coal industry.

The image now needs a makeover, as underground (UG) mining, once the mainstay and a relatively environment-friendly option, has become rare in India.

In FY18, the nation’s two commercial miners — Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Co Ltd (SCCL) — produced 629 million tonne of fuel. Of this, barely 39 mt, or 6 per cent, came from underground sources, down from 16 per cent in FY05 and nearly 9 per cent in FY14. Among the top coal-producing nations, only Indonesia has a lower UG share. Considering 25 per cent of India’s coal assets are deep-seated, UG should ideally contribute a quarter of production. Read more

Courtesy: Business Line

’60 cr people face high to extreme water crisis in India’

Sixty crore people in India face high to extreme water crisis and its demand is projected to be twice the availability supply by 2030, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Answering a question in the Lok Sabha on a study conducted by the NITI Aayog on water crisis in the country, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi said there was an imminent need to deepen understanding of water resources and their usage. Read more

Courtesy: The Economic Times

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