Union Minister of State for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma said on Thursday, 5 May, that there was no shortage of coal in the country and in case such a situation arises, the government is ready to tackle the problem.
Participating in the National Coir Conclave in Coimbatore, the minister responded to a reporter’s question on the scarcity of coal which has led to power shortages across the country, reported PTI.
Regarding the price hike in raw materials used by the MSMEs, particularly the textile, engineering and manufacturing sectors, Verma assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated Rs 5 lakh crore to address the capital needs of the MSMEs.
Priority on Delivery of Coal Rakes
Meanwhile, with low coal stocks due to logistical failures, the Railways last week decided to cancel 753 trips involving 42 trains to prioritise the delivery of coal rakes across the country.
A total of 713 trips of the South East Central Railway (SECR) have been cancelled till 25 May while 40 trips of the Northern Railways (NR) have been cancelled till 8 May.
The cancellations will primarily impact passengers travelling from key coal-producing states, including Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
A number of states, including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, have faced power outages.
However, the Coal Ministry, too, issued a statement on 29 April, saying sufficient coal is available with coal companies.
The government had earlier warned that it might not be able to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to important establishments in the capital, like metro trains and hospitals.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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