Coking Coal Notified as Critical Mineral under MMDR Act, 1957

The Government of India has notified Coking Coal as a Critical and Strategic Mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

About Coking Coal

• Coking coal is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock found within the Earth’s crust and is also referred to as metallurgical coal due to its critical industrial applications.
• Properties:
  • Coking coal has the unique property of softening, swelling, and agglomerating when heated in the absence of air, forming lightweight and porous coke.
  • Compared to thermal coal, it contains higher carbon content with lower ash and moisture.
• Classification: Coking coal is categorised into three major sub-types based on ash content, volatility, and caking properties.
  • Primary Coking Coal has low ash, low volatile matter, and high coking strength.
  • Medium Coking Coal contains low ash, medium volatile matter, and relatively lower caking index.
  • Semi/Weak Coking Coal is marked by low ash, high volatile matter, and very low caking index and is typically blended with superior grade.
• Importance of Coking Coal:
  • Role in Steel Production: Coking coal is an essential raw material for the production of steel through the blast furnace route and is critical for infrastructure, manufacturing, defence and construction sectors.
  • Strategic Significance: Availability of coking coal directly impacts steel sector capacity, cost competitiveness and supply chain stability
• Global Production: Major producers of coking coal include China, Australia, Russia, the United States, and Canada.
• Domestic Availability:
  • India possesses an estimated 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal resources, primarily located in Jharkhand, with additional reserves in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
  • Imports increased from 51.20 million tonnes in 2020–21 to 57.58 million tonnes in 2024–25
  • Nearly 95 percent of the steel sector’s coking coal requirement is currently met through imports, leading to significant foreign exchange outgo and supply vulnerabilities.

About the MMDR Act, 1957

• Regulatory Framework: The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowers the Union Government to regulate mines and oversee the development of mineral resources in the country.
• Institutional Mechanisms: The Act provides for the establishment of – 
  • District Mineral Foundation (DMF) to promote the welfare of mining-affected areas and 
  • National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to strengthen mineral exploration and curb illegal mining.
• List of Critical and Strategic Minerals are specified in Part D of First Schedule of the MMDR Act, and it includes 24 Minerals such as Beryl and other beryllium bearing minerals, Cadmium bearing minerals, Potash, Phosphate (without uranium), Graphite among others.

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