On 29 January 2026, the Government of India notified coking coal as a Critical and Strategic Mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. The decision fits the wider policy direction of mining-sector reform, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047. Coking coal is a key raw material for steel production, so its availability is not only a mining-policy issue but also an industrial-security and economic-strategy issue.

India has about 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal resources. These resources are largely located in Jharkhand, with additional resources in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Despite this domestic base, around 95% of the steel sector's coking coal requirement is met through imports. Imports increased from 51.20 million tonnes in 2020-21 to 57.58 million tonnes in 2024-25. This creates a large foreign exchange outgo and keeps the steel sector's supply chain exposed to external risks.

The Central Government amended the First Schedule of the Act: in Part A, “Coal” now reads “Coal, including Coking Coal”, and “Coking Coal” has been added to Part D, which lists Critical and Strategic Minerals. The change is expected to support faster approvals, easier business processes, exploration of deep-seated deposits and mining activity. The background to the decision included policy inputs from NITI Aayog and recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Implementation of Viksit Bharat Goals.

The mineral-resources and industrial-policy link matters because the steel sector remains import-dependent despite a domestic resource base. The key legal point is the mining-law framework: the amendment was made under Section 11C, while Section 11D(3) keeps royalty, auction premium and other statutory payments with the respective State Governments even where auctions are conducted by the Central Government.