Coal Shortage

Coal Shortage

Subject: Governance

Section: Scheme

Context:

According to the National Power Portal, of the 14 imported coal-based power plants, 11 have critical stocks as on April 12. Their daily stock requirement is 1.53 lakh tonnes and they have 1.48 MT stocks, which will last for 9.6 days.

National Power Portal

National Power Portal is one of the many e-governance initiatives of National Informatics Centre (NIC). NPP is designed, developed and hosted by National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. The portal is a step towards automating various processes related to generation, transmission and distribution of Power across India. It has also facilitated continuous monitoring of aggregate technical and commercial losses (AT&C) losses which has led to reduction of AT&C loss.

The Central Electricity Authority is the nodal agency for its implementation. The major stakeholders of the NPP are the Ministry of Power, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), Generation Utilities (GENCOs), Transmission Utilities (TRANSCOs), and Distribution Utilities (DISCOMs).

The NPP portal has been designed and developed using open source technologies. SMS and email services are used to send alerts, messages to utilities to improve and expedite the data entry process. National Power Database Management System (NPDMS), a core backend system of unified NPP is used to capture online data via APIs and web enabled forms from generation, transmission and distribution utilities across the country. NPDMS is embedded with Role Based Access Control (RBAC) to provide restricted access as per role assigned to various utilities. Various APIs under NPDMS have also been published to provide important power sector information to various utilities and many are in the pipeline to fulfill the requirements of NITI Aayog.

Other Coal Acts:

• The Mineral Laws (AMENDMENT) Act, 2020
  • amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and to amend the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.
  • Allocation of coal blocks for composite prospecting license-cum-mining lease
  • Provision for requirement of Approval from Centre – Done away, in cases where the allocation or reservation of coal/lignite block has been made by the Central Govt. itself
• The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015
  • provides for allocation of coal mines and
  • vesting of the right, title and interest in and over the land and mine infrastructure together with mining leases to successful bidders and allottees with a view to ensure continuity in coal mining operations and production of coal, and for promoting optimum utilisation of coal resources consistent with the requirement of the country in national interest and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

• The Coal India (Regulation of Transfers and Validation) Act, 2000
  • empower the Central Government to direct the transfer of the land, or of the rights in or over land or of the right, title and interest in relation to a coal mine, coking coal mine or coke oven plant, vested in the Coal India Limited or in a subsidiary company to any subsidiary company of Coal India Limited or any other subsidiary company and to validate certain transfers of such land or rights.
• The Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957
  • establish in the economic interest of India greater public control over the coal mining industry and its development by providing for the acquisition by the State of unworked land containing or likely to contain coal deposits or of rights in or over such land, for the extinguishment or modification of such rights accruing by virtue of any agreement, lease, licence or otherwise, and for matters connected therewith.
• The Coal Mines (Conservation and Development) Act, 1974
  • provide for the conservation of coal and development of coal mines and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• The Coal Mines Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1948
• The Coal Grading Board (Repeal) Act, 1959