Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Monday, June 8, 2026, highlighted the Modi government's decade-long push to convert abandoned coal mines into green and productive landscapes, citing scientific closures and active reclamation programmes as central pillars of India's energy-environment balance.

Context

In a post on X, Kishan Reddy stated that over the last 12 years, the Narendra Modi government has transformed abandoned mines under a framework linking ecological restoration to the twin national goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and Viksit Bharat (developed India by 2047). He noted that 42 coal mines have been 'scientifically closed' so far, with 147 more targeted for closure. The minister tagged both the Ministry of Coal and the Ministry of Mines in the post, signalling a coordinated inter-ministerial framing.

The post references two specific initiatives — Mission Green Coal and the RECLAIM framework — as the operational vehicles driving afforestation, land reclamation and ecological restoration across the country. These programmes represent the government's effort to address the environmental liability left behind by exhausted or abandoned mine sites.

Policy Backdrop

India's approach to mine closure has evolved significantly since the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, which introduced competitive auctions for coal blocks and placed greater emphasis on scientific mine closure obligations. The Ministry of Coal subsequently updated mine closure guidelines to require operators to set aside funds for post-closure land rehabilitation.

The opening of commercial coal mining to private players in 2020 under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package brought renewed attention to environmental safeguards across the mine life cycle. India has historically operated under a nationalised coal regime dating to the 1970s; the shift toward regulated private participation has been accompanied by mounting pressure to demonstrate environmental accountability at legacy sites managed by Coal India subsidiaries.

Afforestation and land reclamation at mine sites also feed into India's commitments under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, which sets targets for increasing forest and tree cover as a carbon sink — a goal that repurposed mine land can directly support.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of mine reclamation are communities in coal-belt states — including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh — where decades of extraction have left degraded land, subsidence risks and depleted water tables. Successful ecological restoration can restore agricultural potential and improve air and water quality for residents living near former pit heads.

Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries bear the primary operational and financial responsibility for mine closures under existing guidelines, coordinating with state pollution control boards on compliance. Environmental groups and civil society organisations have long pressed for faster closure timelines and transparent reporting on reclamation outcomes at legacy sites.

What's Next

Progress on the targeted 147 mine closures and the outcomes of Mission Green Coal and the RECLAIM framework are expected to be periodically reported to Parliament through annual mine closure updates. The government's ability to meet its afforestation and land reclamation benchmarks will be closely watched as India approaches its 2030 climate targets and the longer horizon of Viksit Bharat 2047. Independent audits of reclaimed land quality and community livelihood outcomes will be critical to assessing whether the programme delivers durable ecological and social gains.