India must colour coal cash green for mining communities to survive
Every year in October, cash registers ring in shops dotting east India’s mining hubs during the Hindu festival season of Dussehra, when the country’s biggest coal company, Coal India Ltd NSE -0.14 %., hands its workers a bonus.
Researchers and unions are calling for this coal cash – which fuels spending in homes and local economies – and the revenue local governments earn from coal mining firms to be mapped as a first step towards planning for a post-coal economy.
India is aiming to more than triple its renewable energy capacity by 2030 – but state support for renewables projects is still a fraction of that for fossil fuels, as coal production is also being ramped up to meet rising energy demand.
