The Ministry of Coal in India launched the Vriksharopan Abhiyan 2021 on August 19, 2021, as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav.
The coal/lignite Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India has an ambitious target under the Go Greening drive to bring 2,385 hectares of land under bio-reclamation or plantation.
The Abhiyan is expected to give the apropos stimulus to the Go Greening drive and thereby connecting more than 300 plantation sites in and around coalfields in India.
The Abhiyan aims to aid India’s coal sector to achieve environmental and social license to operate and induce environmental stability in the mining sector. Besides, the Abhiyan is expected to drive the citizens of India to launch more afforestation initiatives in their neighboring areas.
India’s Energy Sector: Challenges
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In the past four decades, India’s commercial primary energy consumption has increased by 700 per cent.
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As a fast-emerging economy, India is presented with two challenges of meeting its goals of decarbonizing the energy sector and fulfilling the rising demand for energy in the country, which is primarily dependent on coal due to its indigenous presence and affordability due to limited reserve of natural gas and petroleum, geopolitical perception of nuclear power, eco-conservation on hydel project.
India’s Coal Sector: Efforts
•Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in India. India fulfills 55 per cent of its energy demand through coal.
•Since India is highly dependent on the coal sector for meeting its energy demand, the country has been adopting several innovative initiatives for sustainable mining in the coal sector to fulfil the energy demand and be conscious towards the environment simultaneously.
•Go Greening drive is one of the key initiatives set up in and around coal mining fields that not only boost the ecosystem but also create additional carbon sinks to alleviate the causes of climate change.
•Coal companies in India are also working on achieving carbon neutrality through various environmentally friendly initiatives such as adopting clean coal technologies and extensive plantations.