The oil ministry has forwarded the contentious issue of pricing methane gas produced from coal seams by Essar Oil and Reliance Industries to an empowered panel of secretaries after raising objectio

New Delhi Coal India (CIL) may barely manage to supply the mandatory 65% of annual coal requirement of power projects this fiscal but could flounder in the next two years and invite a R880-crore penalty, says an internal assessment by the coal ministry.

The analysis, factoring in CIL’s production augmentation plans, comes in the wake of mandatory fuel supply agreements (FSAs) being finalised between the monopoly coal producer and power companies at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The CBI, which is probing the Coalgate scam, has shortlisted eight companies that were recipients of coal blocks between 2006 and 2009. These companies are under the scanner of the CBI because of their suspicious credentials, sources said.

“The agency will soon call senior representatives of eight companies for certain clarificantions. The agency has also sought relevant documents related to these companies from the coal ministry,” sources said.

The coal ministry has told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing alleged irregularities in coal block allocation, that no production had ever been reported from the 64 captive blocks that face allegation of illegal sales.

CBI is currently investigating into the allegation that coal produced from these blocks could have been illegally sold in the open market. The investigating agency initiated the inquiry based on a reference by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) after the principal opposition party,

Power units coming up between Jan ’12 & Mar ’15 assured of fuel supply

A day after Team Anna alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had extended “pecuniary benefits to private parties” when he held the charge of the Coal Ministry, the ministry on Sunday said block

Oil companies engaged in drilling and exploration activities, power projects, coal and cement industries, besides developers of national highway in both public and private sectors have emerged as m