India and Germany are set to expand their cooperation on sustainable mining as the Union Ministry of Coal releases the country’s first Annual Report on Mine Closure and signs an implementation agreement with Germany’s development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), in New Delhi on July 22, 2026.
Titled AAROH – Annual Report on Mine Closure, the report will document the scientific closure of 42 coal mines under approved mine-closure plans. According to the Ministry, it is the first comprehensive account of scientifically closed coal mines in India since Independence.
The report will examine how former mining areas have been reclaimed through ecological restoration, sustainable post-mining land use and interventions intended to support affected communities. It will also present examples of how closed mine sites can be repurposed for productive economic and social use.
India-Germany agreement to focus on mines awaiting closure
A central feature of the programme will be the signing of an implementation agreement between the Ministry of Coal and GIZ for technical cooperation on coal mines that are due to be closed.
The India-Germany collaboration will focus on strengthening institutional capabilities, exchanging technical knowledge and supporting the adoption of international practices in scientific mine closure and post-mining development.
Mine closure is not limited to ending production at an exhausted or commercially unviable site. It also involves securing the area, reclaiming disturbed land, restoring ecosystems, managing environmental risks and identifying new uses that can generate economic and social benefits for mining-dependent communities.
The agreement is expected to bring an international cooperation component to India’s evolving approach towards managing this phase of the mining lifecycle.
Ministers and senior officials to attend
Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy will preside over the event as chief guest.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh will attend as special guests. Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey will be the guest of honour.
Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Coal Sanoj Kumar Jha, Coal Controller Sajeesh Kumar N. and other senior officials are also scheduled to attend.
Frameworks developed for scientific mine closure
In recent years, the Ministry of Coal has introduced several mechanisms intended to guide mine closure, community participation and post-mining land-use planning.
These include the RECLAIM Framework for community engagement and the L.I.V.E.S. Framework for sustainable mine closure and the repurposing of mining areas. The Ministry has also developed SUVIKALP, an interactive decision-support tool designed to help assess possible uses for closed mine sites.
The frameworks are intended to support planning across coalfields by bringing ecological restoration, stakeholder participation and long-term land use into the closure process.
An exhibition accompanying the July 22 programme will present mine reclamation, ecological restoration and community rehabilitation projects undertaken by Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries, NLC India Limited, Singareni Collieries Company Limited, NTPC and private mining companies.
Coal NEER plants to be inaugurated
The event will also include the inauguration of Coal NEER plants established by Coal India Limited through its subsidiaries.
The plants are intended to improve access to safe and sustainable drinking water in coal-bearing regions. Such areas can face water-related challenges linked to mining activity, making the treatment and productive use of available water an important part of post-mining environmental management and community development.
Vocational training planned under revised Jharia programme
Tripartite memoranda of understanding will also be signed to establish vocational training facilities under the Revised Jharia Master Plan.
The agreements will involve Bharat Coking Coal Limited, the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority, Hindalco Industries Limited and Rajdhani Universal Fabrics Private Limited.
The proposed facilities are expected to support skill development and alternative livelihood opportunities as part of the wider rehabilitation programme in Jharia, one of India’s most prominent coal-mining regions.
From mine shutdown to regional redevelopment
The release of AAROH comes as the government seeks to treat mine closure as a longer-term environmental, economic and social process rather than simply the cessation of mining operations.
The report’s account of 42 scientifically closed coal mines is expected to provide a record of India’s experience with land reclamation, ecological recovery, community interventions and the reuse of former mining sites.
The proposed India-Germany partnership adds a bilateral dimension to this effort by bringing technical cooperation and international knowledge-sharing into the planning of mines that are yet to close. Its longer-term significance will depend on how effectively the practices developed through the agreement are applied across coal-producing regions and translated into measurable environmental restoration and livelihood outcomes.
