Coking coal has been notified as a critical and strategic mineral under the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957. The update matters because India has 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal reserves, yet nearly 95% of the steel sector's coking coal requirement is met through imports. This import dependence causes foreign exchange outflows and creates supply risks for a basic industrial input.
Coking coal is not just another energy coal topic. In the blast furnace route, it is converted into coke, which works both as fuel and as a reducing agent in steelmaking. Steel production needs higher-quality coking coal, while much of India's domestic coking coal has high ash content and often needs blending before use. As a result, a large part of the requirement is imported, mainly from Australia and the USA.
The critical and strategic mineral designation gives the Union government a basis to prioritise exploration, auction mining blocks faster, and retain strategic control over allocation. The broader list also includes minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, titanium and rare earth elements, so coking coal should now be studied in the context of industrial security. For exams, treat the issue as a case of raw-material security for the steel industry, import dependence, and industrial self-reliance. In prelims, the Act, the mineral category, reserves and import dependence can be asked directly; in mains, the same facts support answers on self-reliance, foreign exchange savings and industrial supply security.