What happened
The Ministry of Coal held a Pre-Application Conference for the Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification Projects. The conference was chaired by Sanoj Kumar Jha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, and was meant to explain the scheme rules before formal applications begin.
The scheme had already been approved by the Union Cabinet on 13 May 2026. The Ministry of Coal said the scheme is intended to promote cleaner and value-added use of domestic coal and lignite.
What the scheme seeks to do
The Ministry of Coal said the scheme is aimed at accelerating surface coal and lignite gasification projects and encouraging the production of downstream products with higher value addition.
The products named by the Ministry of Coal include synthetic natural gas, ammonia, methanol, direct reduced iron (DRI), synthetic fuels, and chemicals.
Related current affairs
- Government sets coal gasification target of 100 MT by 2030; approves ₹37,500 crore surface gasification incentive scheme
- Promotion of coal gasification and clean coal technologies—targets and financial/coal linkage/policy support
- Bids opened for 15th round of Commercial Coal Blocks’ Auction
- Prime Minister to Lay Foundation Stone of India’s First Commercial-Scale Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate Project in Odisha
- Key Policy Measures Announced in 2026 Supporting Manufacturing, Energy Security, Trade/Investment, and Agriculture
- New LPG connections still on hold amid West Asia tensions