In a statement made by India's Minister of State for Coal Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal on May 3, according to the latest national inventory of Indian coal resources published by the Geological Survey of India, on April 1, 2009, the country's total coal resources were assessed at about 267 billion metric tons, of which 106 billion metric tons or about 40 percent are proved reserves and are adequate to meet projected demand.
According to the minister, domestic steel plants have recourse to coal imports in view of the current limited availability of coking coal in the country both quantitatively and qualitatively. Non-coking coal is imported by power plants and industries including sponge iron plants for reasons such as environmental regulations, locational advantages and to meet requirements which exceed the level of supply received from indigenous sources.