Coal sector saw massive scams in past, transparent system in place now, says Pralhad Joshi

New Delhi: There were massive scams in the country's coal sector in the past but now such a robust and transparent system has been established that even the coal minister cannot allocate one kg of coal to anyone in a discretionary manner, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said Wednesday.

Replying to a question related to his ministry in the Lok Sabha, the Union coal minister said the country is in the process of producing one billion tonnes of coal, fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

"Now we have a very robust and transparent system. I can't even give a single kilogram of coal in a discretionary manner. I can't give a coal block in a discretionary manner. We all know how coal blocks were allocated in the past. There were massive scams," Joshi said.

He said commercial coal mining has started in the country and it will bring efficiency and competition in coal production, attract investment and help create more jobs in the sector.