Kishan Reddy demands Rs 54,148 cr dues paid to Singareni
Synopsis
Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy on 9 July 2026 demanded Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy immediately repay approximately Rs 54,148 crore in dues to Singareni Collieries, accusing BRS and Congress governments of exploiting the coal company's revenues for 12 years at the expense of miners.
Key Takeaways
Kishan Reddy , Union Minister of Coal and Mines and BJP Telangana president, demanded repayment of approximately Rs 54,148 crore in dues owed to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) .
He accused both BRS (which governed Telangana from 2014–2023) and the current Congress government of exploiting SCCL revenues over the past 12 years .
Kishan Reddy called on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to set aside politics and address the company's financial crisis urgently.
SCCL is a joint central-state undertaking operating in Telangana's Godavari valley coalfields , employing tens of thousands of coal miners.
The dispute centres on worker welfare, with Kishan Reddy framing unpaid dues as a direct harm to miners who 'risk their lives day and night.' The intervention carries institutional weight as Kishan Reddy holds central regulatory oversight over SCCL in his capacity as Union Coal Minister.
Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy, who also serves as BJP Telangana state president, on Thursday, 9 July 2026, publicly demanded that the Telangana state government immediately repay dues of approximately Rs 54,148 crore owed to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), accusing successive BRS and Congress governments of exploiting the coal company's earnings over the past 12 years.
Context
Posting in Telugu on X, Kishan Reddy wrote: 'సింగరేణి కార్మికులు ప్రాణాలకు తెగించి రాత్రింబగళ్లు కష్టపడి తీసిన బొగ్గును వెలికితీస్తే.. వారి కష్టాన్ని 12 ఏళ్లుగా బీఆర్ఎస్, కాంగ్రెస్ ప్రభుత్వాలు దోచుకున్నాయి.' ('Singareni workers risk their lives, toiling day and night to extract coal — and for 12 years, BRS and Congress governments have looted the fruits of their labour.') He urged Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to set aside politics and focus on SCCL's financial crisis, demanding the immediate repayment of the outstanding dues.
The post carries a video and reflects a sharpening political confrontation between the BJP-led Centre and the Congress government in Telangana over the management of SCCL, one of the state's most significant public-sector employers.
Policy Backdrop
Singareni Collieries Company Limited is a joint undertaking of the central and Telangana state governments, operating coal mines across the Godavari valley coalfields. The company has been at the centre of recurring disputes over revenue sharing and dues since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, which placed SCCL under the new Telangana state's jurisdiction while the Centre retained a significant ownership stake.
BRS governed Telangana from 2014 to 2023, after which Congress came to power under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy following the December 2023 assembly elections. Kishan Reddy's post holds both parties collectively responsible for the alleged accumulation of dues over the 12-year period, framing the issue as one of worker welfare rather than inter-party rivalry.
National coal sector reforms announced in 2020 had emphasised financial viability for public-sector coal companies and opened the sector to commercial mining, adding further scrutiny to the operational and fiscal health of state-linked entities like SCCL.
Stakeholders and Impact
SCCL employs tens of thousands of coal miners across Telangana, and their wages, benefits, and safety conditions are directly tied to the company's financial health. Kishan Reddy's statement frames the dues dispute explicitly as a workers' welfare issue, saying miners 'risk their lives day and night' and deserve to see the company's revenues used for their benefit rather than diverted by the state government.
The Telangana state government, as a co-owner of SCCL, collects dividends and levies from the company. Allegations that the state has not returned dues to the company — if substantiated — would have significant implications for SCCL's capital expenditure, safety investments, and capacity to pay its workforce. The Congress government in Hyderabad has not publicly responded to this specific demand as of the time of posting.
What's Next
The demand for repayment of Rs 54,148 crore is likely to intensify scrutiny of SCCL's balance sheet in the Telangana Legislative Assembly and could prompt calls for a formal audit of the company's outstanding receivables from the state. As Union Minister for Coal, Kishan Reddy holds regulatory and policy oversight over SCCL at the central level, giving his intervention institutional weight beyond its political dimension.
Whether the Telangana government tables a detailed financial response or whether the Centre initiates a formal review of SCCL's dues will determine the next phase of this standoff — with the livelihoods of Singareni's miners squarely at the centre of the debate.
Point of View
He brings regulatory authority to what could otherwise be dismissed as partisan rhetoric, while as BJP's Telangana state president he seeks to consolidate the party's standing among the state's large mining-worker constituency. The framing of SCCL's financial troubles as a 12-year bipartisan failure is notable: by implicating both BRS and Congress, BJP positions itself as the only force untainted by the alleged mismanagement. The demand for repayment of a specific figure — Rs 54,148 crore — raises the stakes, inviting the Telangana government to either dispute the number publicly or face pressure to act, making this a pressure-point moment ahead of any future electoral cycle in the state.
NationPress
10 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)?
Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is a major public-sector coal mining company operating in Telangana's Godavari valley coalfields. It is jointly owned by the central government and the Telangana state government, and is one of the largest employers in the state.
Why is G. Kishan Reddy demanding Rs 54,148 crore from the Telangana government?
Kishan Reddy alleges that BRS and Congress state governments have collectively withheld or diverted approximately Rs 54,148 crore in dues owed to SCCL over the past 12 years, harming the company's financial health and the welfare of its workers.
What did Kishan Reddy say about Singareni coal miners?
He said Singareni miners risk their lives working day and night to extract coal, and that the fruits of their labour have been 'looted' by successive BRS and Congress governments in Telangana for 12 years.
Who is the current Chief Minister of Telangana?
Revanth Reddy of the Indian National Congress has been serving as Chief Minister of Telangana since December 2023, after Congress won the state assembly elections that year.
What is G. Kishan Reddy's role in the coal sector?
G. Kishan Reddy is the Union Minister of Coal and Mines, giving him central regulatory and policy oversight over coal companies including SCCL. He also serves as the BJP's Telangana state president.
