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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COAL
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2789
ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026
STAR RATING POLICY FOR COAL AND LIGNITE MINES
2789. Shri Manish Jaiswal:
Shri Radheshyam Rathiya:
Shri Yogender Chandolia:
Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat:
Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal:
Shri Amar Sharadrao Kale:
Shri P P Chaudhary:
Shri Ramesh Awasthi:
Shri Manoj Tiwari:
Shri Godam Nagesh:
Smt. Aparajita Sarangi:
Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram:
Shri Praveen Patel:
Shri Rahul Singh Lodhi:
Shri Janardan Mishra:
Shri Anil Firojiya:
Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:
(a) the progress made in implementation of the Star Rating Policy for coal and lignite
mines including the distribution of mines across different star ratings;
(b) the measures taken by the Government to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the
self- evaluation and validation process under the policy;
(c) the impact of the policy on improving safety, environmental performance and
sustainable mining practices;
(d) the measures taken by the Government to encourage higher compliance and
adoption of best practices among coal and lignite mines; and
(e) the current status of self-evaluation and star rating of coal and lignite mines during
the latest assessment cycle?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL & MINES
(SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY)
(a): Star Rating Policy has been implemented for coal and lignite mines with effect
from Financial Year (FY) 2018-19. During the first year (FY 2018-19) of
implementation of the policy, 357 mines participated while 382 mines participated
during the last assessment year, i.e. FY 2024-25. The result of Star Rating since its
inception is enclosed at Annexure.
1(b): To ensure transparency and accuracy in self-evaluation and subsequent
validation by Coal Controller's Organisation (CCO), a dedicated web portal has been
put in place for evaluation of Star Rating for each type of mine i.e. underground (UG),
opencast (OC) and mixed mines.
The Star Rating process proceeds through three distinct stages of evaluation, all
managed through the web portal. At the first stage, the respective mine chooses
eligible marks against each evaluation parameter in the web portal. During the second
stage (review by reviewers), 10% of the highest scoring mines, in each category (OC
mines, UG mines and mixed mines), are validated through physical inspection by a
validation Committee constituted by CCO, HQ, having four members. Remaining 90%
of mines are validated online by CCO officers from cross-regional offices based on the
documents uploaded by the mines against each evaluation parameter. In the third and
final stage of review, Controller review is done at CCO, HQ. Based on the assessment
in Controller review at CCO, HQ, the result of Star Rating is declared by the Ministry
of Coal.
(c): The Star Rating Policy evaluates coal and lignite mines across seven key
parameters, namely Mining Operations, Environment-related parameters, Adoption of
Technologies, Best Mining Practices, Economic Performance, Rehabilitation &
Resettlement, and Worker-related Compliance and Safety & Security. The policy has
encouraged a competitive approach and motivated continuous improvement in
operational efficiency, safety standards, environmental management, technological
adoption and responsible mining practices among participating mines. The fact that
Star Rating Policy has contributed towards improving safety standards, environmental
performance and sustainable mining practices in coal and lignite mines, is evident from
the results of 5-star-rated mines, which were 8 in 2018-19 and 50 in 2024-25. Year-
wise details of declared star-rated mines are in the Annexure.
(d): To promote healthy competition and encourage mines to enhance their
compliance standards, the Ministry of Coal organises the Star Rating Award
Ceremony during each review period, recognising all five-star rated mines. For the
financial year 2023–24, the Award Ceremony was held in Mumbai on 4th September
2025.
(e): The Star Rating process for the financial year 2025–26 was initiated on 14th July
2026. The final date for submission of self-evaluation reports by mine owners is
15th August 2026.
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2Annexure
Assessment
Five Star Four Star Three Star Two Star One Star No Star Total
Year
OC UG Mix OC UG Mix OC UG Mix OC UG Mix OC UG Mix OC UG Mix OC UG Mix All
2018-19 04 04 0 28 36 02 62 74 03 50 36 06 24 22 05 01 0 0 169 172 16 357
2019-20 11 05 0 19 20 02 59 74 01 51 40 09 38 17 06 04 02 0 182 158 18 358
2020-21 15 05 0 46 24 0 72 73 02 51 37 11 15 12 05 0 02 0 199 153 18 370
2021-22 18 06 0 41 36 0 69 66 03 53 37 08 21 06 05 04 0 0 206 151 16 373
2022-23 33 10 0 52 44 04 69 50 04 36 33 03 21 13 03 05 0 0 216 150 14 380
2023-24 31 11 0 70 30 01 63 69 05 35 30 04 21 04 01 08 0 0 228 144 11 383
2024-25 35 15 0 57 60 03 59 50 03 33 06 03 17 0 0 31 09 01 232 140 10 382
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