Coal’s Last Breath, Nature’s First: India’s Mines Set for a Green Rebirth

In a pathbreaking move integrating ecology, economy, and empathy, Coal India Ltd and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) have signed twin MoUs with the Heartfulness Institute to transform abandoned coal mines into productive green belts. The programme, inked on July 3 at Kanha Shanti Vanam, a short distance from Hyderabad, is a first in the direction of sustainable closure of mines and reviving communities.

Key Highlights:

Mission RECLAIM: The initiative aims to be based on the RECLAIM framework—Reachout, Envision, Codesign, Localise, Act, Integrate, Maintain—a worldwide consistent model for mine closure and repurposing.
Ecological Revival: Heartfulness will lead the initiative to revitalize soil health, counteract poisonous gases, and establish green cover on abandoned mines in Telangana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Livelihood Generation: The scheme intended to generate sustainable livelihood for hitherto miningdependent communities, with the inclusion of women and Panchayati Raj participation.
Tech & Tools: The model integrates fieldtested approaches, templates, and community outreach models modified to suit Indian contexts.
Leadership Voices: Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy stated, "It's time to give back to nature," whereas Heartfulness Guide Daaji referred to it as "an opportunity to breathe life into depleted lands."
Symbolic Shift: The MoUs represent a shift from extractive past to regenerative future—turning mining scars into symbols of rebirth.

This collaboration reimagines India's coal belt as not a destination, but a starting point—where nature, community, and consciousness meet to initiate something new.

Source: WebIndia123, UNI India, Devdiscourse