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. Coking coal is a key raw material for the steel industry because coke made from it acts as both fuel and a reducing agent in the blast furnace route. This makes the notification more than a mining-policy change: it is linked to industrial security, import dependence and the cost structure of India's steel sector.

India has about 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal resources, yet nearly 95% of the steel sector's requirement is met through imports. This leads to major foreign exchange outflow and keeps the steel industry exposed to external supply dependence. By placing coking coal in the Critical and Strategic Minerals category, the notification strengthens the policy basis for prioritising exploration, approvals and mining activity. This policy update is a useful example of reading a small factual change with a larger economic argument.

For exams, this topic connects economy, mineral resources, industrial policy and Atmanirbhar Bharat. In prelims, the Act, the critical-and-strategic-mineral status, the 37.37 billion-tonne resource base and the 95% import dependence are likely factual hooks. In mains, it can be used as an example for domestic manufacturing, steel-sector supply-chain resilience, foreign-exchange savings and strategic mineral security. In static GK, it links directly with the difference between coking and non-coking coal, the role of coke in steelmaking, and mineral-administration provisions under the MMDR framework.