Fifty coal mines have won five-star ratings for the 2024-25 financial year in the Ministry of Coal's annual Star Rating Programme, announced at an awards ceremony in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Of those, ten mines took first, second and third positions in their categories with scores above 93 per cent. Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and NTPC won first prize in the opencast category, and Singareni Collieries Company Limited won first prize in the underground category. Western Coalfields Limited received special appreciation for having the most five-star mines among Coal India's subsidiaries, and NCL and Mahanadi Coalfields were praised for steady performance in ratings and production.
What the ministry said
Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey said the programme promotes healthy competition and should be seen as a chance for self-evaluation, not only an assessment. He urged mines to adopt best practices, keep proper records and use modern, safer technology, and asked for wider participation in the 2025-26 round.
Additional Secretary Sanoj Kumar Jha said such assessment sets benchmarks and encourages transparency. The ministry said the ratings cover safety, environmental management, scientific mining, productivity and community welfare.
AI hackathon
The ceremony also honoured winners of the Hackathon on R&D 2026, themed "NextGen AI for Smart Mining". Winners included CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, and Technowave Solutions with IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, among others, for AI solutions on efficiency, safety and the environment.
Photos
Source: official release by the Ministry of Coal, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (02 NOV 2026 8:19PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: Ministry of Coal recognises outstanding performance of coal mines under Star Rating Programme for FY 2024-25; 50 mines receive Five-Star Ratings.
How we verified this
VerifiedEvery fact, figure and quotation is taken from the official PIB release (Release ID 2331780) issued by the Ministry of Coal on 02 NOV 2026 8:19PM by PIB Delhi; checked against the source on publication. Story written by BDT from that release; no outside facts added.
Sources
- 1.Ministry of Coal recognises outstanding performance of coal mines under Star Rating Programme for FY 2024-25; 50 mines receive Five-Star Ratings — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
