The Ministry of Coal has released ‘AAROH: Annual Report on Mine Closure’, prepared by the Coal Controller Organisation. The report is India’s first comprehensive documentation of scientific mine closure and repurposing practices. It highlights the transformation of 42 scientifically closed coal mines, covering ecological restoration, sustainable post-mining land use, and community development initiatives. Each mine profile includes details of closure measures, post-mining land-use outcomes, before-and-after visuals, and QR code-enabled videos documenting the site’s transformation.
Additionally, the ministry has signed an implementation agreement with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for technical cooperation on ‘to-be closed mines’. The initiative will focus on scientific mine closure, mine repurposing, technical capacity building, knowledge exchange and adoption of global best practices. The project has been commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is co-financed by the European Union, with a total project volume of EUR 10 million until 2030. The cooperation will take place over the next four years.