Union Minister of State (coal and mines) Satish Chandra Dubey, on Tuesday, marched in goose-steps as he visited the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) and inspected its activities and future growth plans in Chhattisgarh. The minister also spoke to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai regarding coal production, infrastructure development, and enhancing India’s energy security.
The Union Minister and the Chief Minister, during the meeting, discussed how they could improve coordination between the Centre and the state government to speed up the development initiatives in coal-bearing areas. The talks also discussed enhancing logistics connectivity and creating jobs associated with industrial development.
Dubey admired the government of Chhattisgarh’s support for the coal sector and said that collaboration between the Centre and the state would further solidify the CGC’s role in meeting the nation’s energy needs.
Later, a high-level review meeting was held, presided over by the minister, where Harish Duhan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of SECL, along with senior leaders and company executives from the Coal Ministry, participated.
The review meeting discussed several areas of coal sector activities, such as coal production, coal dispatch, safety, quality care, digitisation plan, environmental care plan, coal gasification plan, closure of the mines, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plan.
For the emphasis on safety and sustainable mining, Dubey emphasized the growing use of modern technologies and efficiency in the extraction of coal. He congratulated SECL for its role in enhancing the energy security of India, along with environmental and safety norms.
The minister also emphasized that CSR programmes should be properly continued with the aim of inclusive development and welfare activities in the coal belt.
At the meeting, Harish Duhan announced SECL is 26.86 million tonnes towards Coal India Limited’s cumulative milestone of 100 million tonnes for the current financial year (2026-27).
Under SECL’s efforts as a digital organization, Dubey has initiated the e-DADAS (Design and Drawings Approval in SECL) Portal and the Hospital Management and Information System (HMIS) Portal. The e-DADAS portal will make engineering designs much easier to review and approve online, and the HMIS portal will streamline healthcare management and improve the digitisation of patient records in SECL hospitals, officials said.
The Minister also inaugurated a modern 5-Part Hematology Analyzer Unit at the Union-funded Indira Vihar Health Centre, Bilaspur. It is hoped that the automated system will enhance diagnostic accuracy and care provided within the facility.
Dubey also discussed healthcare facilities at the centre and expressed admiration for the work SECL is doing to augment its medical facility and its healthcare provision to staff and nearby communities.