Central Coalfields Limited : Empowering Communities and Energising Nation

By P M Prasad | Chairman & Managing Director | Central Coalfields Limited

Under the leadership of Hon’ble Minister of Coal, Shri Pralhad Joshi, CCL is committed to fulfil the energy demand of the country and contribute in the Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission of the government. With an operational area of about 2600 sq km stretched across 8 districts of Jharkhand, we are one of the biggest employers of Jharkhand and a leading contributor to state exchequer.

Since the last couple of years the world is shattered by Covid-19 pandemic but the coal warriors of the company have ensured that there is no dearth of the coal to the power plants associated with company. Despite the challenging circumstances, the company has witnessed a growth of 7% in production and coal dispatched has witnessed a rise of 13% till January -22 when compared to the same period in previous fiscal. Rake loading too surged by 23% while coal dispatch to power plants increased by 28% during the same period. Last year, the company dispatched a record 80 rakes in a single day. All these accomplishments are a testimony to the perseverance and arduous work of the entire workforce of the company.

Our aim is holistic development of the stakeholders.  We concentrate our CSR initiatives in sectors like Skill development, drinking water, sanitation, health, sports promotion, Infrastructure development. We lay emphasis on the participatory approach and engage the beneficiaries at each stage from the project identification to the monitoring process.

A MoU worth Rs 22 crore has been signed with Akshaya Patra Foundation and Ramgarh district administration for establishment of a centralized kitchen. The kitchen will provide mid-day meals to 50,000 students of 586 government schools of Ramgarh District.

Ten students of our flagship scheme “CCL Ke Lal and Ladli” this year have qualified for IIT. Many students of the previous batches have completed their education and have started their professional journey.

CCL operates the sports academy at Khelgaon in association with Government of Jharkhand to nurture the sports talents of the state. Training is imparted to the selected cadets in ten different sporting disciplines. There are 438 children enrolled in the academy, and about 96% of the cadets belong to SC/ST and other backward communities. The cadets of the academy have won over 800 medals in numerous states, national and international competitions and have brought laurels to the state and nation.

A plethora of other CSR initiatives are likewise being implemented by the company. Our belief is in executing transformative projects which unleashes the potentiality of the beneficiaries and develop into a model for replicable, integrated and sustainable growth.

The entire CCL family left no stone unturned to support the administration and the local community in the struggle against Corona virus. Over 1700 Covid patients have been successfully treated in the hospitals of the company. It’s a matter of pride that over 2 Lakh people have been inoculated in the different centers of the company. The company likewise gave Rs 20 crore to state disaster management fund for the fight against Covid-19.

We have accorded utmost priority to environment preservation and pollution control. The company is implementing various sustainable development initiatives to enhance the biodiversity of the region. One of the important initiatives is utilization of surplus mine water for community use for domestic and irrigation purposes. About 120 villages from Jharkhand are using mine water from CCL. During the last ten years, company has done plantation of over 37 lakh saplings for improvement in bio-diversity and environment.

Mining coal from the bowels of earth is a challenge, but being a responsible corporate organization, we are committed to ensure that the wheels of the development of the nation keep rolling. Our aspiration is not only to energise India but being a part in shaping the future of the country.

(Shilpa Bichitra | Anniversary Edition | 2022)