Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey chaired a review meeting of Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDI) in Ranchi on May 14, 2026, to assess the company’s operational performance and future plans.

The meeting was attended by CMPDI CMD Chaudhari Shivraj Singh, CCL CMD Nilendu Kumar Singh, MECL CMD I. D. Narayan, along with senior officials and technical directors from CMPDI, CCL and MECL.

During the review, CMPDI presented its performance across areas such as coal exploration, report preparation, capital expenditure, research and development projects, CSR activities and solar initiatives for FY26, along with targets for FY27.

The minister appreciated CMPDI’s performance and stressed the importance of clean coal technologies and strategic exploration of critical minerals to strengthen India’s future energy and economic security. He also directed CMPDI management to simplify procurement procedures, improve transparency and enhance market outreach to encourage wider bidder participation and avoid project delays.

Highlighting sustainable mine closure practices, the minister proposed transforming reclaimed mining areas into socio-economic assets by promoting cultivation of fox nuts (makhana) and fisheries under the government’s “One District, One Product” (ODOP) initiative. The move aims to create long-term livelihood opportunities for local communities around abandoned mining sites.

During the meeting, CMPDI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL) to strengthen collaboration in coal and mineral exploration for both energy and non-energy minerals.

The government said the partnership is expected to boost India’s mineral inventory, support the development of new mines and contribute to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by promoting self-reliance in the mineral sector.