The world’s second largest producer, after China, also surpassed FY23’s coal and lignite production of 937.22 million tonnes (mt) — twenty-five days in advance. Terming it as a “historical high”, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said the achievement of 1 billion tonnes in coal and lignite production will ensure that lights are on in citizens’ houses even as the coal sector continues to power up the economy.” The self-serving economy and its ravenous growth aside, the Indian coal mining industry is also symbolic of severe exploitation, communities fraught with water contamination, health hazards and disease. Children and women serve the industry as undocumented labor in many cases. Even as a nation with insignificant nuclear power capacity, India is the 2nd largest producer and consumer of coal after China whereby operating hundreds of big and small mines. More than 70% of which are based on erstwhile Indigenous lands or those belonging to dozens of poor ethnic minorities. India shows no signs of Net Zero goals as of now!