SECL Transformation and Performance Update 2014-2026
South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a Mini Ratna subsidiary of Coal India Limited operating in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, has undergone significant transformation since 2014, with coal production increasing from 124.26 Million Tonnes (MT) in 2013-14 to 176.28 MT in FY 2025-26, representing growth of over 42%. The company contributed approximately 23% of Coal India's output and about 17% of India's total coal production in FY 2025-26, with domestic coal production reaching 1.04 BT (provisional) nationally. SECL's coal offtake reached 178.63 MT across 13 states in FY 2025-26, up from 122.03 MT in 2013-14, a growth of over 46%.
Operational Efficiency and Infrastructure Development
Productivity measured by Output per Man-Shift (OMS) more than doubled from 7.23 tonnes in 2013-14 to 16.47 tonnes in 2025-26. The company is developing the Chhattisgarh East Railway and Chhattisgarh East-West Railway corridors with IRCON and the Government of Chhattisgarh, involving a total investment of approximately ₹13,685 crore and 342.6 kilometres of railway lines. Eleven First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects with combined annual capacity of 156 million tonnes have been operationalized at an investment of about ₹2,700 crore, with dispatch through FMC systems growing by 28% during FY 2025-26 and accounting for 41.3% of total dispatch.
Technological Advancements and Mechanization
More than 88% of coal is produced using surface miners without conventional drilling and blasting, reducing vibration and dust. Continuous Miners support underground mass-production and contribute 76% of SECL's UG coal production. New paste fill technology at Singhali Underground Mine supports underground stability and enables extraction beneath surface areas. The DigiCOAL digital system integrates machinery monitoring, drone surveys, video analytics and worker-safety applications, supported by a network of over 1,600 CCTV cameras across mines with AI-enabled surveillance analytics planned.
Financial Performance and Contributions
SECL's net worth increased from approximately ₹9,544 crore in March 2015 to ₹20,457 crore in March 2026, a rise of nearly 114%. In FY 2025-26, the company contributed about ₹11,830 crore to Central and State government exchequers through direct taxes, royalty and other taxes and levies. Royalty payments alone increased from approximately ₹2,075 crore in FY 2014-15 to ₹3,485 crore in FY 2025-26, a rise of nearly 70%. The company employs more than 36,000 regular employees and 24,000 contractual workers.
Community Development and CSR Initiatives
CSR expenditure grew from ₹43.91 crore in FY 2013-14 to over ₹127 crore in FY 2025-26 (growth of approximately 188%), with total investment of about ₹1,078 crore since 2014-15 in mining-affected communities. SECL provided 5,405 employments against land from 2014-15 to August 2026. Project Dharashakti empowers women employees with skill training and pathways into technical roles, including 19 women trainees undertaking HEMM operator training. SECL established Coal India's first all-women-operated dispensary at Vasant Vihar, Bilaspur, and first all-women-operated Central Store Unit at Central Workshop, Korba.
SECL Ke Sushrut provides free residential NEET coaching to meritorious students, with 70 of 80 students qualifying NEET across first two batches. SECL Ki Dhadkan has completed 300 corrective heart surgeries for children with congenital heart disease toward a goal of 1,060 surgeries. The company has completed scientific closure of 28 abandoned mines, the highest among Coal India subsidiaries as of August 2026, and planted 14.36 lakh saplings across 571 hectares during FY 2025-26 compared to around 5 lakh in 2014. Installed solar capacity reached 44 MW compared to nil in 2014, with reused mine water supporting irrigation across more than 3,800 hectares.